This special designation is used because, although the alligator in Florida is no longer biologically endangered, it is necessary to maintain restrictions on commercial activities to ensure the conservation of alligator populations in other states and of similar-looking threatened or endangered crocodilian species such as the American Crocodile. Sexual maturity depends on the size, and both sexes reach maturity at about 6 feet in length. Most nesting occurs in June and early July. Nests are usually constructed on mounds of vegetation, raised banks of slightly higher ground so that the eggs will be above the high water mark. Females usually stay near their nest during incubation and often can be found in the water near the trail leading to the nest.
Some females actively defend their nest.
The number of eggs in a nest may vary from 20 to 50 or more. The eggs are oval, about 2.5 inches long, and weigh 2 to 3 ounces each. Hatching occurs after 65 days of incubation. The eggshell is composed of several layers, the outer being hard and heavily calcified, and the inner layers being soft and rubbery. As incubation progresses the acids in the nest gradually erode pits in the outer layer exposed the soft inner layers.