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HOMESTEAD, Fla. (FOX 13) - Two alligators in the Florida Everglades appeared to have met their match.
The gators were spotted by Josh Boyd, who was spending time at the national park's Shark Valley on Monday. That morning, he quickly noticed one alligator was releasing a fierce bellowing sound.
"I'd heard plenty of males bellowing alone, but this one was just wading in the water quietly," Boyd explained to FOX 13.
At first he wanted to snap a photo, but then the reptile and Boyd locked eyes.
"When I approached it, he stared right at me and started bellowing," he recalled, "and coming closer to intimidate me."
A nearby gator, within the same body of water, must have thought the intimidation was directed in its direction, and not the human with a camera, Boyd believed. He started recording the encounter.
He posted the video on his Instagram on Tuesday, writing, "This large male gator was telling me to stay out of his territory since it's mating season. Then a neighboring gator thought he should respond."
According to FWC, courtship for alligators could start as early as April, but active alligators have been spotted even earlier. Typically, mating occurs in the summer months.