Welcome to Florida: October 2011

Friday, October 28, 2011

What is it? What was it?

What is it?
Is it an alligator?
Is it a crocodile?
It's not a crocodile.
It's a gator!

What was that?
Was it an alligator?
Was it a crocodile?
I don't know.
It was a gator.
It was not a crocodile.

*That's a funny looking creature in the picture above.
Does anyone know what it is? I f you guess correctly you
win a free trip to Florida....just kidding.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Gators and Crocs

Alligators and Crocodiles live in Florida. Let's call them 'gators & crocs'.
Look at picture #1. Is it a gator or a croc? Can you tell the difference?

1

This is a gator. Anyone in Florida would know this animal.

Gators are very common throughout Florida. However, they don't

seem to be much of a problem (knock on wood). There are an

estimated 1 to 2 million alligators in the state of Florida. A group

of gators is called 'a congregation of gators'. Gators like

fresh water. For example, gators can be found in rivers, lakes,

ponds and sometimes pools.

This one is a croc. It's habitat is the Everglades and the Bay of Florida.

This animal likes brackish water. What's brackish? It's a mix of fresh

water and sea water. In Florida, there are very few crocodiles.

Crocodiles can trace their history back over 260 million years.

However, there are less than 500 crocs in Florida now.

Despite being a protected animal, its' time may be running out.

Let's look at this picture. Please study the head shape. The front

part of the face or snout of a gator is rounded. The croc's head is

triangular in shape. The color of the two is different, too. The gator

is darker than the croc. There are other differences of course.

In Florida, your chances of seeing a croc are small.

If you see an animal like this, it's probably a gator.

That's what a gator looks like in the water. It's home is the water

and it can be dangerous.

Wow, look at that. That's a really scary croc. I feel like running

away. Although at home in the water, these animals can move quickly

for short distances on land.

These are fascinating animals. I like to look at them. However,
they are wild and dangerous. We must always respect the
power of these two ancient creatures. In addition, these animals
are protected by law. They have a right to live in Florida just
like the people do.

What a place! Florida! Beautiful and magical...and yet, there is a wild side to Florida. In the swamps...in the rivers...the masters of the water live.

Have a Great Day!

Cougar Eye

From the depths of the swamp, the cougar waits for it's prey.
Cougar, Panther, Puma, it makes no difference what this animal
is called. It's big and can be nasty. Don't look into its' eyes! You'll
be hypnotized and the cougar will get you. It's waiting in the swamp
now...be careful...