Do you know… Seabrook Island is home to a healthy population of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)?
Alligators do not regard humans as prey and serious injury caused by alligators is rare; however, being safe around alligators requires common sense and respect for these large predators.
To be safe around alligators, remember:
- Do not feed alligators. Feeding alligators reduces their fear of humans.
- Keep your distance, at least 50 feet. Alligators can run faster than you.
- Do not attempt to move alligators out of the road.
- It is illegal to harass or throw things at alligators.
- Do not disturb nests or small alligators. Female alligators are very protective.
- Keep pets and children away from alligators.
- Do not corner or trap alligators.
- Be alert around the shore of freshwater ponds or wetlands.
- Avoid swimming in areas that are known habitats for large alligators.
Some fun facts about alligators:
- Alligators breed in the spring, typically during April and May and females lay 30‐50 eggs in a large mound of mud, sticks, and plant material.
- The female alligator will stay close to the nest until the eggs hatch, typically in July and August.
- The female will often take each of the baby alligators to the nearest pond one by one and stay close by to protect them.
- Alligator hatchlings grow slowly, about 6‐8 inches a year until they reach sexual maturity in about 10‐12 years. Survival of hatchlings is relatively low, and each nest of 35 eggs typically produces about four adult alligators.
- Since alligators are cold‐blooded, they cannot regulate their internal body temperature as humans and other warm‐blooded animals do. For this reason, alligators are most active from March‐November. Alligators spend a large amount of time basking in the sun on pond edges in an attempt to warm their body temperature, especially on cooler days.
Seabrook Island Property Owners’ Association (SIPOA) has developed a policy for determining whether or not an alligator qualifies as a “nuisance alligator” and therefore warrants removal under the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Nuisance Alligator Program. If you have a concern about an aggressive or nuisance alligator, call Seabrook Island Security at (843) 768-6641 immediately. If SIPOA staff and Security determine that removal is warranted, a professional alligator trapper licensed by the SCDNR will be summoned to remove the animal. Click here to read the full SIPOA Alligator Program Policy.
Property owners should share this information with visitors and rental guests.
–Tidelines Editors
Updated June 2026