Research Alligator Report Form (PDF)

LDWF biologists have marked many alligators for research purposes. Some of these were caught in the wild, and some were released to the wild from commercial farms. These alligators have one or more notches cut out of the tail scutes and two metal tags in the webbing between the toes (usually on the back feet). If you capture a marked research alligator, record the tag number (usually 6 digits) as well as the length, tail notch(es), and sex of the alligator. Submit this information on a form provided by LDWF. Reporting information from tagged alligators is important—this information allows biologists to follow the movement, growth, and survival of alligators and informs management for continued harvests. Note that sometimes the tag is lost as the alligator grows, but the information from the tail notch still lets biologists know what year the alligator was marked.