A new book explains why these iconic reptiles have gotten a bad rap and why they should be cherished.

It also explores their role as a surrogate species who offer vital clues about ecosystem health.

The alligator’s success offers a hopeful example of people and apex predators coexisting in a crowded world.

Some 30 years ago, I met an alligator up close and personal, and in all honesty, it scared the hell out of me, more so than some of the close encounters I had with some of the predators, including mountain lions and coyotes, who lived around my mountain home outside of Boulder, Colorado. I also had the opportunity to meet some crocodiles in East Africa, and while I know that these reptiles are intelligent, sentient beings, I have to say that their "prehistoric" look is what really scared me the most.

I've always wanted to know more about these reptiles, and I was thrilled to learn about a new highly acclaimed book by wildlife historian Mark V. Barrow, titled Gator! The Making of America’s Iconic Reptile, From First Encounters to Florida Man, in which he tells the gripping story of changing human attitudes toward these iconic creatures.

Marc Bekoff: Why did you write Gator!?

Mark V. Barrow: Gator! is a kind of love letter both to a fascinating creature, the American alligator, and to my home state of Florida. I was born and raised in Gainesville, deep in the heart of Gator Country. From a young age, I was immersed in a landscape that was not only brimming with living, breathing alligators but also with the ubiquitous gator symbolism associated with the University of Florida’s “Fightin’ Gators.” Our family spent a great deal of time outdoors, where we frequently encountered alligators, and we made numerous trips to nearby alligator-themed roadside attractions.

So researching and writing this book represented something of a homecoming. Although I have not lived in Florida since graduating from the University of Florida in........

© Psychology Today