Spring brings a time of greater activity among alligators in Florida, including the ones in lakes and ponds here in The Villages.
Courtship has been taking place during the month of April. Mating occurs in May and 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, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Incubation requires approximately 63-68 days, and hatching occurs from mid-August through early September.
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.
About one third of alligator nests are destroyed by predators (mainly raccoons) or flooding. The average clutch size of an alligator nest is 38. 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.
