Day 3 American Alligator

DEVELOPMENT: 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 10-15 years and a male 8-12 years to reach these lengths. The Juvenile Stage is after the eggs hatch in June or July. After the hatchlings emerge from their eggs, the mother alligator immediately carries them to the water. Sometimes the mother carries the young on her back as she swims. When the alligators are old enough to mate, they spawn in spring. Males congregate around a female, who then selects her mate. When the animals have paired, the male will defend his female from other potential suitors, scaring them off with thrashing and roars. The male makes his intentions known to the female by nudging and bumping her. After the pair mate, the female goes off to build her nest. The male alligator doesn't participate in raising the young. Adult alligators repeat these mating rituals annually. In the wild alligators live from 35 to 50 years,

REPRODUCTION: Alligators mate once a year during the spring breeding season. Male alligators make loud throaty bellowing roars to attract females. Male alligators participate in mating rituals that announce their presence with a low bellowing sound to attract their mates and slap the water with their jaws and lift their tails high, causing vibrations through the water. 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 63-68 days, and hatching occurs from mid-August through early September. About 1/3 of alligator nests are destroyed by predators (mainly raccoons) or flooding.