Why Do Alligators Bury Their Eggs?

That's how they get them to hatch. Saltwater crocodiles and the American alligator build nests near the water and lay eggs in them. Then the mother covers them with a big mound of vegetation 8 to 10 feet (2.5 to 3 m) wide and 40 inches (1 m) high. Heat produced by the decaying vegetation makes the eggs hatch. The mother will guard the eggs for the three months it takes them to hatch. Most species of alligators guard and protect their eggs. Both the saltwater crocodile and American alligator do this by building large nests in the form of a tall mound of vegetation. These nests not protect the eggs but warm them with the heat generated by decomposition and solar energy.