Giant Alligator Spotted Slowly Crossing the Street in South Carolina as Mating Season Begins

A giant alligator is seemingly ready for the mating season. The massive gator was spotted crossing the street solo.

Giant Alligator Crosses the Street

Recently, an enormous alligator was caught on camera crossing a residential roadway on Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

In the footage, a man can be heard in the background exclaiming it was "a dinosaur." The giant beast is seen slowly crossing the street solo.

Teresa Ficca captured footage and shared it on Instagram. She also spoke with Storyful about what really happened during the sighting.

Ficca said she, her daughter, and their black lab were walking home from the beach. A man waved at them and told them they should go to the other side of the street.

Initially, she thought the residents didn't want them to walk near their property. However, the man seemingly saw her thoughts and explained, telling them there was a large gator at the end of the white fence, which was where they were.

In the video on Instagram, the reptile takes its time while it crosses the street. Then, it lay down when it was about to get to the opposite side of the street.

During the video, a number of individuals can be heard discussing the gator, and others can be seen standing and watching from a distance.

Several netizens reacted, with one wondering how animal control handles such situations. The user said she didn't know how to deal with the gators and would not go out after dark.

Another user said the gator was a beautiful animal, and from the look of its size, it was probably old and had already eaten. The user encouraged others to be careful at this time of the year because these beasts are courting and breeding soon. While gators are gorgeous, the netizens urged the public to keep their distance.

What Happens During the Alligator Mating Season?

The alligator tends to get more active this year because it's mating season. According to ABC 7, gators' courtship begins in early April, and mating season occurs in May or June.

In late June or early July, females lay an average of 32 to 46 eggs in a mound nest made of earth, plants, or debris. Incubation takes roughly 63-68 days, and hatching occurs from the middle of August to the beginning of September.

According to Fox 35, the weather is heating up quickly this year in Florida, and the breeding season has started a bit early. Gatorland CEO Mark McHugh said in a safety video that the early Spring weather after the winter could confuse the reptiles and may have caused them to mate early.

Officials said male gators lift their tails high and slap the water with their jaws to create vibrations.

During alligator mating season, female alligators will build a nest of soil, vegetation, or debris and lay up 46 eggs in late June or early July, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Check out more news and information on Alligators in Science Times.