Alligators mate underwater this time of year. Here’s how you tell if you’re too close

It’s alligator mating season, a time when males engage in very public antics to find females, even to the point of roaming neighborhoods.

But when it comes to the act of mating itself, alligators are surprisingly private.

An example of their shy approach was shared this week on Facebook by the University of Georgia’s Coastal Ecology Lab. The video shows two alligators — Sally and Obadiah — courting in Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp Park.

“Alligator mating itself is not a very visual process as the act itself actually takes place underwater,” the lab wrote. “All that can be seen of the actual mating are the bubbles that rise up from the bottom of the swamp.”

Sure enough, the video concludes with the two lovebirds vanishing below surface, at which point bubbles explode on the surface.

Lots and lots of bubbles.

The video ends seconds later, which makes sense. Alligator copulation is a relatively short endeavor, usually lasting “less than 30 seconds,” experts say.

It’s the courtship that takes up all the time. Apparently, female alligators liked to be wooed.

“It generally takes a few weeks for the male to win over the female. The male will attempt to enter the female’s territory and spend time near her, typically basking. If the female thinks the male to be a suitable partner, she will allow him to stay,” the Coastal Ecology Lab reports.

The video of Sally and Obadiah shows what happens once the female makes up her mind.

”In the video, Obadiah can be seen trying to coerce Sally off her island and out into open water,” the lab says.

“Once Sally agrees to leave her basking spot, Obadiah guides her out into open water where they swim around each other for a moment before disappearing under the water to mate.”

This story was originally published April 27, 2022 at 4:27 AM with the headline "Alligators mate underwater this time of year. Here’s how you tell if you’re too close."