Alligators are looking for love. With mating season just around the corner in May, alligators Florida alligators this month are beginning their search for a mate which means they may cross paths with humans.
During courtship, one of the main forms of communication from male alligators is bellowing – a low pitch growl that alligators make to signal to females in the area that they are looking for a mate and to establish dominance over other males in a territory.
As males become more territorial, some alligators may end up closer to people, according to Dan Navarro, a biologist with the Alligator Management Program and the Crocodile Response Program Coordinator with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
"There's more displacement. Some of the smaller alligators [are] getting pushed out of certain areas by the larger males, and in doing so, then the alligators end up in places they might not be," Navarro says. "They might end up going more out towards roads or chased out into people's yards or something like that. They're more in contact with people, but not because they're more aggressive towards people."
However, while alligators can be more aggressive during this time, Navarro said it's towards other alligators, not people. Florida Fish and Wildlife said the likelihood of a Floridian getting seriously injured by an unprovoked alligator attack is roughly 1 in 3.1 million.
"You'll sometimes see alligators with serious injuries to their tail or their face," Navarro said. "Sometimes they might have chunks missing of their tail, a pretty serious gash or a missing limb. They fight. Sometimes they eat each other, and that kind of just increases in frequency during this time of the year slightly."
If there is an alligator close to a home or seems aggressive towards people, Florida residents can call the statewide nuisance alligator program hotline for assistance at 1‐866‐FWC‐GATOR (392‐4286).
Copyright 2025 Central Florida Public Media