When is gator mating season in Florida

[brian_sheets]

Recently I was watching National Geographic and I saw something that

was quite amazing. When the male alligator wants to mate, he makes a

low rumbling sound that causes the water around his mid-section to

vibrate and dance.

 

Has anyone ever experienced this and where might be the best time and

place to go and witness it.

 

I am also curious as to when the alligator eggs are hatching in the

wild.

 

thanks

 

brians

[peter_may]

Brian,

 

Females build nests and lay eggs in late June-July. Males start bellowing and courting females around May. You can hear the males bellowing just about anywhere in Florida where there are decent gator populations (which is just about everywhere) if you're at the right place at the right time. However, they seem to be a bit reticent about doing it out in the open, in my experience. If the NG special you saw was "Realm of the Alligator", most of the filming of alligator behavior was done at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. Dr. Kent Vliet did his doctoral dissertation on courtship behavior, and spent hundreds of hours in the water with them there documenting their behavior; he coined the term "water dance" for the way the subsonic portion of the bellow makes the water boil up. My guess is that one of the alligator farms would be your best bet for observing this neat behavior.

 

Peter

[peter_may]

Part II. Eggs hatch about 70 days after laying, so baby gators start showing up in late August-September.