Living Among Alligators, Safety Tips, Facts To Keep in Mind

Courtship begins in early April, with mating in May or June, for Florida’s alligators, which is a busy time for nuisance trappers statewide.

One such trapper was at HCC at The Regent on April 16 to snare a 5-foot alligator that made its way to the bicycle rack near the entrance doors to the satellite location for the Brandon campus of Hillsborough Community College.

• See, Alligator Catches HCC Brandon College Students Off Guard at the Regent

There, a student spotted the wayward alligator, as another student, a police officer for Veterans affairs, kept watch until a Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived, followed by a licensed state trapper.

The Florida Statewide Nuisance Alligator Program, under the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), contracts with about 55 nuiscance alligator trappers to remove specific nuisance alligators.

The department also offers safety tips and facts to keep in mind about alligators and alligator nuisance situations, as noted below:

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If You Need To Report a Nuisance Alligator:

• To report a nuisance alligator, call: 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).

• An alligator generally is considered a nuisance if it is at least 4 feet in length and poses a threat to people, their pets, or property.

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What Happens to Nuisance Alligators?

• A captured nuisance alligator becomes the property of the trapper.

• In most cases, a captured alligator is killed and processed for its hide and meat. Occasionally a nuisance alligator is sold to an alligator farm, animal exhibit or zoo. (The trapper who caught the nuisance alligator at HCC at The Regent said it would be killed and processed because it was larger than 4 feet. If the alligator had been smaller than 4 feet, it would have been relocated.)

• Nuisance alligator trappers work under contract with FWC. The sale of alligator hide and meat is their primary compensation.

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When You See An Alligator . . .

• Alligators are capable of running, but they run to flee threatening situations. There is no documented evidence of alligators running after human beings or any other land animal to prey upon them.

• No basis, too, to the myth that you should run in a zig-zag pattern to elude a charging alligator. Should you find yourself in the extremely unlikely situation of a lunging alligator, run in a straight line away from the alligator and its habitat, to which the alligator is most likely to retreat.

• Never approach an alligator that is on land.

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Living With Alligators — Do’s and Dont’s

• Never feed alligators. It’s both dangerous and illegal. When fed, alligators can overcome their natural wariness and learn to associate people with food.

• Dispose of fish scraps in garbage cans at boat ramps and fish camps. Do not throw them in the water.

• Be aware of the possibility of alligators when you are near fresh or brackish water. Be aware of your surroundings.

• Do not swim outside of posted swimming areas or in waters that might be populated by large alligators.

• Alligators are most active between dusk and dawn. Avoid night swimming.

• Don’t swim with your dog. Dogs often attract an alligator’s interest. Dogs and cats are similar in size to an alligator’s natural prey. Don’t allow pets to swim, exercise or drink in or near waters that might contain alligators.

• Leave alligators alone. State law prohibits killing, harassing or possessing alligators. Observe and photograph alligators from a distance. Do not get close.

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Alligator Mating Season

• Nearly all alligators become sexually mature by the time they grow to 7 feet, although females can reach maturity at 6 feet. (The alligator caught at HCC at The Regent measured 5 feet, according to its trapper.) It takes a male alligator eight to 12 years to reach its maturity; a female, 10 to 15 years.

• Courtship begins in early April.

• Mating occurs in May or June.

• Females build a mound nest of soil, vegetation or debris and deposit, on average, 32 to 46 eggs in late June or early July. Incubation requires about 60 to 65 days. Hatching occurs in late August or early September. The average size of an alligator nest is 35, from which an estimated 15 hatchlings will emerge. Roughly six hatchlings will live to one year, of which five will become subadults, reaching 4 feet in length.

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Alligator Facts

• The American alligator’s listing by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides federal protection but allows for state-approved management and control programs.

• Female alligators rarely exceed 9 feet in length. Males can grow much larger. The Florida state record was a 14-foot, 3.5-inch male from Lake Washington. The state’s record weight it 1,043 pounds (for a 13-foot, 10.5-inch gator from Orange Lake in Alachua County).

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Links Related to Alligators and Alligator Programs

For links to Alligator Farms, Alligator Products, related Academic and Governmental and Non-Governmental Associations, other Crocodilian Web Pages, Internet Mapping Resources, information related to Alligator Programs, and Alligator Hunting Supplies, Guide Services and Ecotours, visit Alligator Links, at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Web site.

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