Kennesaw State University graduate student Ben Angalet is conducting research on how alligators may adapt to saltwater environments, focusing on the presence of specific tongue glands. Angalet, a second-year student in the Master of Science in Integrative Biology program at KSU, collected samples from nearly 50 alligators across four locations in South Georgia, including Jekyll Island and the Okefenokee Swamp.
Angalet noted that little previous research has been done on this topic for alligators. “I learned that there’s very little research on this topic, that most of the research on these lingual glands was only done on crocodiles,” he said. “So I figured I’d catch some alligators and see whether populations differ and their abilities to tolerate prolonged saltwater exposure.”
His fieldwork involved using specialized equipment to safely extract gland samples from live alligators. The data collected will be analyzed as part of his thesis, which he plans to defend in spring 2026.
Originally from Woodstock, Angalet earned his undergraduate degree from the College of Coastal Georgia before working as a ranger at Jekyll Island. He later joined KSU as a laboratory coordinator in the College of Science and Mathematics.
Angalet began his master’s studies with support from KSU’s Tuition Assistance Program and found mentorship with associate professor Nick Green. “When I started at KSU, I learned about the Tuition Assistance Program, which made it possible for me to take my master’s studies,” Angalet said. “Then I decided I had to find a professor who could work with me, and Dr. Green has a tough time saying no to cool projects. I was able to get him to stray away from his small mammal work for a little bit and help me do my gator stuff.”
Green agreed that studying how alligators adjust to environmental changes aligns with his lab’s focus on wildlife adaptation. “A lot of the reason that people might be concerned about how alligators regulate salt in their body has to do with the fact that, as climate warms, the oceans are going to expand,” Green said. “We’re seeing sea level rise. More freshwater species will have to adapt to saltwater conditions. Really, this isn’t just about alligator tongue glands, it’s about how a big apex predator in these coastal and swampy ecosystems adapts to climate change.”
During his literature review, Angalet found prior studies focused mainly on crocodiles by Australian scientist Lawrence Taplin in the 1970s and 1980s. He received guidance from Taplin through online meetings while developing protocols for working with wild alligators.
“What justified me doing this project was that there definitely hasn’t been anything going on with it, and I’ve been following his protocols and practices and his guidance on how to do this on live, wild alligators,” Angalet said. “It can be sketchy sometimes, but it was fun. Everyone’s still got their fingers.”
Describing his field methods, Angalet explained: “There’s always a big appreciation for each animal,” he said. “We used local anesthetics when we took out any biopsies so they wouldn’t feel anything. I’m glad I took videos because the whole time I was just blacked out, just trying to do my work and get everything done. It was hard to appreciate it sometimes, which is why I wanted to get lots of footage and pictures so I can look back on it.”
He hopes experiences like these will encourage other graduate students at KSU: “Dr. Green told me from the start that this is my project. If I can make it work, then make it work,” Angalet said. “More graduate students should take advantage of those opportunities and really make a master’s what you want it to be. Faculty at KSU are willing to work with you and let you branch out and do things that you are interested in. An experience like this can make you more confident as a scientist, and I think everyone is capable of doing that.”
