Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Good to hear from and to be able to help with a kingsnake discussion. Feel free to translate this and post.

To the best of my knowledge, alligator breeding in Florida does not respond in any strong way to Spring temperatures. The onset of breeding and nest laying shifts back and forth by a week or so, but given the 60 day incubation (which can get longer when its cool, but doesnt get much shorter) , I think it is absolutley impossible that hatchlings seen recently were laid this year- they would have to be from eggs laid back in February!! Keep in mind that the reproductive cycle in alligators begins in the fall of the preceeding year when the ovary begins to mature some eggs in response to female body condition. The irrevocable physiological 'decision' to go ahead and bring those eggs to full development (vitellogenisis) is hormonally mediated and occurs about 6 weeks prior to laying- They can 'decide' not to lay and resorb the eggs, but they cant
retroactively 'decide' to lay early, because the eggs still are not fully yolked.

I think what may confuse people is the very variable growth rate of young gators, particulallry when compared with captive specimens. If conditions are poor and/or crowded, some of last years young are just a bit longer than their birth length- I have seen younguns from the previous year in the spring at 20-30 cm , so could reasonably cause a mistaken assumption that
they are recently hatched rather than nearly 6 months old.

Hope this clarifies.

Perran