At this time of year, police in North Carolina are telling people to stay away from female alligators.
The Sunset Beach Police Department put up a public service announcement on Facebook about what they think are alligator nests.
Most alligators are sexually mature by the time they are about 7 feet long, but females can be sexually mature at 6 feet. It could take a woman 10 to 15 years and a man 8 to 12 years to reach these lengths. “They start dating in early April and mate in May or June,” the post said.
Several signs have been put up near active nests in the area to tell people to stay away from them.
“In late June or early July, the females lay an average of 32 to 46 eggs in a mound nest made of soil, plants, or other things that have been broken down.” “Incubation lasts for about 63 to 68 days, and hatching happens between the middle of August and the beginning of September,” the post said.
While sitting on their nests, female alligators may feel frightened when they are approached and become “aggressive.”
“If you suspect a nest is being tampered with, or a person may be in danger, due to their proximity to it, please contact 911,” it said.
The police department shared another alligator sighting, a picture of a young alligator seen in a neighborhood.
A girl was in the area to visit her grandma when she told people about the snake sighting.
The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission says that alligators often live in bays, lakes, rivers, creeks, marshes, swamps, and ponds along the coast of North Carolina.
A Facebook post from the cops said it was the girl’s first time seeing an alligator up close.
Officials caught the alligator and then set free in a nearby lake.
