Watch: Large Gators ‘Wrestle’ In Lakewood Ranch Backyard

LAKEWOOD RANCH, FL — When Gordon Silver found two alligators wrestling in his Lakewood Ranch backyard, he grabbed his phone and started recording.

He later shared the video of the two large gators tussling in his yard to YouTube.

“Didn't have to leave my back yard to capture these (two) gators tossing each other around at the beginning of the 2021 mating season in Lakewood Ranch, Florida,” he wrote in the video’s description.

Watch the full video here:

The video starts with an ominous low growl from one of two gators at the water’s edge. They both menacingly open their jaws before they start wrestling – or, as Silver described it to Fox 13, getting “acquainted.” After tumbling several times, both gators end up in the water.

"When I heard the gator mating call from inside my home, I immediately grabbed my camera and dashed outside to investigate," he told FOX 13. "I'm a big nature photographer and capturing wildlife right from your own backyard is something I always wanted to do."

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According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, alligator courtship begins in April, while mating occurs in May or June.

By late June or early July, female gators will build a mound nest and lay 32 to 46 eggs. The incubation period takes from 60 t0 65 days, and eggs usually hatch in late August or early September, the FWC said.