Romance in the Swamp

Sent in by Emotional Taxidermy's Astute Reader, Romance in the Swamp comes to us via Silver Springs, Florida. Go to any bar late on a Saturday night and I think you'll find we as a species aren't that far removed from our prehistoric brethren in the swamps. Thanks, Astute Reader – you know what I like!

Courtship

Breeding season is directly related to temperature and lasts six to eight weeks.

Courtship activities occur in three phases and serves to synchronize the breeding cycle of males and females.

Phase 1: Attracting members of the opposite sec by bellowing and headslapping.

Phase 2: Pair formation. Male and female touch each other's snout, produce a cough-like sound and swim together. This behavior signals non-aggressive intentions. At this point either partner may end the courtship with a series of bellows and growls and swim away. Generally females select the males. Once a pair is formed, courtship continues with sounds, snout touching, back rubbing, circling, bubble blowing and spewing water from the nostrils.

Phase 3: Copulation, which can last for 15 minutes and is repeated over several days.

Larger males and females have an extended breeding season. Larger females will mate first so that if smaller females mate at all it will be late in the breeding season at the end of the ovulation cycle. Nests of smaller females may contain many infertile or malformed eggs. Not all females nest in a given year. After courtship the males disperse and the females begin the task of preparing nests.