The deep vocalization adult male alligators use during courtship is called a bellow.
During the breeding season, male American alligators produce powerful bellows that advertise their presence and may attract females or warn competing males. The sound is unusually low and resonant, and the animal’s body can visibly vibrate as the call travels across the water. Bellows are among the best-known examples of vocal communication in crocodilians.
Alligators also communicate through other signals. Hatchlings use chirps and other calls, adults may hiss when threatened, and courtship includes body postures, head movements, and water vibrations. The bellow therefore represents one part of a larger communication system rather than the species’ only sound.
A bellow is not the same as the “water dance” or infrasonic vibration sometimes discussed in popular accounts. The term refers specifically to the audible, resonant call. American alligators are found in the southeastern United States, while related crocodilian species have their own vocal repertoires and courtship behaviors.