The Dangerous Seasons: Courtship, Nests and Hatchlings

Crocodilians are never safe to be around, but there are weeks of the year when they are markedly more dangerous, and it pays to know when. For the American alligator, courtship builds through April and mating runs into May and June. Males roam far beyond their usual haunts — a breeding male may cover a range of more than a thousand acres — bellowing, competing, and turning territorial and short-tempered. There are simply more large animals, on the move, in more places, than at any other time of year, including places they were not a month ago.