Villager Lizzie Degan spotted an alligator in the water near the third hole of Tierra Del Sol golf course earlier this week.
She had her camera with her and was able to snap a photo of the alligator.
Part of the joy in living in The Villages is being able to catch a glimpse of an alligator while strolling the boardwalk at Lake Sumter or out on the golf course.
Mating season for alligators begins next month.
Alligators live anywhere there is water—lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes, swamps, and even man-made canals, according to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Mating season for alligators occurs from mid-April through May. To attract females, males display by head-slapping the water and producing a deep rumbling bellow. Once a male-female pair is formed, they will swim together, touch each other’s snouts, and blow bubbles. Mating takes place in the water and when completed, the male disperses and the female is left to search for a place to build her nest.
Female alligators construct nests by mounding up vegetation, sticks, leaves, and mud in a sheltered spot in or near water. Females use their whole bodies during nest construction—body and tail to clear an area, jaws to gather and drag vegetation, and hind legs to dig the hole in the mound for the eggs. After completing the nest, the female will deposit all of her eggs (ranging between 20 and 50) at once and cover them up with more vegetation for incubation. She may move vegetation around to keep the eggs at a fairly constant temperature. Females stay near the nest during incubation and actively defend it from predators like raccoons. Females may also be aggressive toward humans, often hissing and charging at intruders, so alligator nests should never be approached.
