When is gator mating season

Their diets include prey species that are abundant and easily accessible. Juvenile alligators eat primarily insects, amphibians, small fish, and other invertebrates.

Adult alligators eat rough fish, snakes, turtles, small mammals, and birds. Go to the following links for more information:. Female alligators rarely exceed 10 feet in length, but males can grow much larger. Nearly all alligators become sexually mature by the time they reach approximately 7 feet in length although females can reach maturity at 6 feet.

A female may require years and a male years to reach these lengths. Courtship begins in early April, and mating occurs in May or June. Females build a mound nest of soil, vegetation, or debris and deposit an average of 32 to 46 eggs in late June or early July.

Incubation requires approximately days, and hatching occurs from mid-August through early September. The average clutch size of an alligator nest is For nests that survive predators and flooding, an estimated 24 live hatchlings will emerge.

Only 10 alligator hatchlings will live to one year. Of these yearlings, 8 will become subadults reach 4 feet in length. The number of subadults that reach maturity 6 feet in length is approximately 5. These estimates are for a growing alligator population.

As a population matures and has a higher percentage of large alligators , the survival rate would be expected to be lower, in part due to a higher rate of cannibalism. Warm spring weather means alligators are more active and more visible, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says.

Rising temperatures increase an alligator's metabolism, which means they begin seeking prey, according to FWC. It also means they'll be observed basking in the sun as they regulate their body temperature.

FWC warns that although alligator bite incidents resulting in serious injury are rare, keep your distance. FWC also warns residents and visitors to never feed an alligator. It's not only dangerous, it's illegal. Feeding them can lead the animals to overcome their natural wariness of people and teach them to associate people with food.

With toilet-invading iguanas , deadly hybrid super-serpents and toxic giant toads , no corner of Florida is ever completely safe from the threat of a marauding reptile. Now, with the imminent start of the rainy season, another menace is emerging from the swamps: amorous alligators heading into urban areas in an annual quest for love.

The season appears to be off to a lively start. Perhaps the raunchiest example came in a video of two alligators engaged in a mating ritual, captured by a Bradenton resident and posted to YouTube. Never feed an alligator and keep your distance if you see one.

Swim only in designated swimming areas during daylight hours. And keep pets on a leash and away from the water. Most alligator mating takes place in May and June, with nesting in late June and July.