Alligator hunting season is being extended in Florida to help thin their numbers, according to a Local 6 News report.

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SURVEY: Scared Of Alligators?

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The move comes as trappers prepare to spend another day searching for an alligator that killed a woman in a Marion County lake.

Wildlife officials said Annemarie Campbell was attacked and killed while snorkeling Sunday at the Juniper Wayside Camp in Marion County.

Police said the people she was staying with found the 23-year-old woman inside the gator's mouth.

The men were able to free her body, but she was dead when they found her, according to reports.

Authorities estimate the animal was as large as 9 feet long.

Woman Dies In Dunedin

Also, authorities are looking for an alligator that killed a 43-year-old Dunedin woman in Pinellas County.

Police said Judy Cooper's body was found in a canal 20 miles north of St. Petersburg. She had been in the water for about three days.

A preliminary autopsy said that Cooper suffered animal bites that were consistent with an alligator, which "did play some part in the victim's death."

The cause of death is still pending and the medical examiner's final report won't be released for at least four weeks.

It's not clear why Cooper was in the area where wildlife officials said alligators are frequently spotted.

Her sister said that Cooper's family had not heard from her for about three months and she had a history of drug abuse.

Cooper's brother-in-law said that officials said her purse was found near the water and drugs may have played a factor.

Dismembered Body Found

On Wednesday, construction workers found the dismembered body of a Florida Atlantic University student in a canal near Fort Lauderdale.

A medical examiner concluded that the 28-year-old woman was attacked near the canal bank and dragged into the water.

On Saturday, wildlife officers captured a 9-foot-6-inch alligator in Sunrise that they said they believe fatally attacked Yovy Suarez Jimenez while she was out jogging.

Suarez's death was the 18th confirmed fatal alligator attack in Florida since 1948.

Nine other previous deaths are unconfirmed, mainly because it was not clear whether the person was already dead when the alligator attacked.

What provoked the attacks in three separate Florida counties was unknown, but state wildlife officials said alligators are generally on the move looking for mates and food this time of year.

"As the weather heats up, the alligators' metabolism increases and they have to eat more," Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Willie Puz said Sunday.

"They might be moving more, but that just shouldn't mean increased alligator attacks," Puz said.

Florida residents are warned not to swim in heavily vegetated areas, feed wildlife or walk pets near the water, especially between dusk and dawn when gators are more active, Morse said.

Residents who see an alligator posing a threat are urged to call Florida Fish and Wildlife at (866) FWC-GATOR.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.