Contrary to the rumors that Fort Worth’s alligator population is made up of pets that people let loose, the reptiles are very much native to the area.
According to Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge manager Jared Wood, the first recorded gator spotting here was in 1849.
Beyond that, researchers don’t know much about the local population, Wood said. That’s why his staff is running a long-term gator spotting operation, part of a yearslong study to establish a baseline of knowledge. How many gators live here? How big are they?…