Everyone can enjoy exploring the Everglades area and learning about alligators!
All Aboard the Alligator Adventure of Love
Calling all adventurous spirits near and far, it’s time to explore the Everglades! Although it’s always a unique journey to go out on one of our tours, which begins with a nature cruise of the scenic mangrove estuary of Estero Bay and then go by van to the Everglades where airboats, swamp buggies and an amazing interactive animal experience await, this is the time of the year, from mid-April through May, to experience the oooohhh’s and aaaaahhh’s of alligator mating season.
These creatures offer a scaly rendition of the swingin’ seventies with the males getting all ‘decked out’ to show off to their female counterparts. The alligator’s bellow sounds a lot like motorcycles revving up in the distance. During courting time they are extra rumblesome and loud! You can check out the sounds at the Everglades National Park website here.
Mating rituals of the male Alligator also include head slapping, often accompanied by a series of unique, attention seeking techniques that include holding their bodies straight and somewhat elevated so that most of the body is hovering above the water surface – sometimes a male will ‘hang’ like this for more than 30 minutes! When one begins to show off, the other males respond with a head slap or bellow of their own, forming an alligator bellowing band! These techniques often work to draw a crowd of ladies ~ it’s common to see one male surrounded by 3 or 4 females. Some ladies are not as impressed with the spectacle and choose to leave him behind. Even the most gnarled of alligators can get jilted!
Alligators ‘court’ for up to 6 weeks, and they have quite the underwater ‘party’ as the batch of eggs laid by any one female will have several paternities! We’d be thrilled to take you on a “uniquely yours” adventure through the area, share in amazing exploration of this wondrous habitat and much more. Whether young or old, visiting the area or local, book a trip with us at Everglades Adventure. Let’s explore together!