TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Alligator mating season is upon us.
A gator measuring more than 10 feet long was found beneath a car parked at an apartment complex in Tampa last week, authorities said.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office shared video Tuesday of trappers hauling away the monster reptile. No one, including the gator, was harmed.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation was called to the complex on March 31. The caller said there was a pond nearby.
“This was no small gator…it was 10 feet 2 inches,” deputies said on Facebook.
Alligator bites are uncommon, but with gator mating season underway, deputies are advising residents to be on alert. The increased alligator activity over the next few months can lead to more frequent run-ins with humans.
According to the FWC, the courtship process for Florida’s more than 1 million alligators begins in April. Mating then happens in May or June before females build a nest and deposit about 32 to 46 eggs. After 63 to 68 days of incubation, the eggs will hatch from mid-August through early September.
If you see an alligator, keep a safe distance and never feed them. You should keep your pets on a leash and away from the water’s edge and swim in only designated swimming areas during daylight, deputies say.