All You Need is Love: It’s Alligator Mating Season

It’s alligator mating season, and your heart may just skip a beat! As the air heats up and the days grow longer, love is in the air for these scaly creatures. So get ready for a wild ride filled with love, danger and maybe even a bit of reptilian romance. When it comes to alligator mating season, all you need is love!

Courtship begins in mid-April and lasts through the end of May. Male alligators make a low bellowing sound and slap the water to draw a female’s attention, warning other males to stay away. Males who are ready to mate will become vicious fighters during mating season as they compete for available females. They may even come away with missing legs or blinded eyes.

Alligators will also use scent to attract mates, emitting a pheromonal musk. Alligators start the mating process by engaging in courtship behaviors once they have found a potential mate. They might push one another underwater or rub and press each other’s snouts and bodies, demonstrating their power and establishing their superiority to other suitors.

Females may mate several times during the season and typically lay 35 eggs, although the clutch may be anywhere from 20 to 50 eggs. After covering them in her nest made of soil, vegetation or debris, she will guard them, keeping an eye on the eggs for up to nine or 10 weeks.

After about 65 days, the baby alligators will hatch in mid-August or early September. The mother alligator stays with her young for up to two years after they hatch, protecting them from predators and teaching them how to hunt and survive in the wild.

So there you have it, folks! Alligator mating season is an exciting and fascinating time of year for these scaly creatures.

If you’re feeling daring and want to experience the magic of alligator courtship up close and personal, head over to Alligator Alley from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Check out our website for more information, you might even witness the beginning of a brand-new alligator family!