When an alligator reaches sexual maturity it will be about 10 to 12 years old and have reached a length of six feet. The female will lay 40 to 45 eggs during late June or early July. She will cover the nest with leaves and branches to incubate the eggs for 65 days. Baby alligators are six to eight inches in length when they hatch. The first few years of the alligator's life are the most dangerous.
Young alligators feed mostly on insects, snails, frogs and small fish.
When they reach about six feet in length they will begin to eat larger fish, turtles, birds and small mammals. The value of alligator meat and hides led to the depletion of the reptile and the addition of their name to the Endangered Species list in 1967. The Endangered Species Act of 1973, provided protection to the alligator. The American alligator made a remarkable recovery and has since been taken off the list. Today there are over one million alligators in Florida alone.