During the next couple of months is when they really start looking for each other, University of Florida biology professor Kent Vliet said. But mating season this year may not be as successful as in the past because biologists expect the drought to take its toll on the local alligator population, Vliet said. When there is little water, alligators crowd together, causing social stress. When this happens, many females will not go into their reproductive cycles, he said.
Alligators go into a reproductive cycle once a year and many tend to skip years.
But many more alligators may skip this year than average due to overcrowding, Vliet said. When alligators begin looking for mates, there is more movement as they travel to and from wetland areas. But because there is a lack of water, it is harder for the alligators to move around and many will get lost and wander in search of a wet habitat. On the main areas of campus, excluding the peripheral areas such as the hog farm and research centers, Vliet estimates there are between one and two dozen alligators, primarily in Lake Alice. It is not uncommon for small alligators to get caught out in the open during mating season.