Florida - Everglades

The Everglades



Any random canal in Florida could have alligators like this guy.


Or these guys. You may as well expect them, and don't expect to see them because they do a pretty good job of hiding.


Look carefully. How many gators do you spot? If you say "3," you'll be gator bait - hidden among the vertical shadows in the water is a very slight bump that has a pair of eyes and a large submerged jaw. And that's not all.


The first guy is #5 in the previous photo, and the second one could well be #6. They're everywhere, they hang out together, so once you see one, you're probably surrounded. Hope you like the taste of alligator, because they sure like you.


More, still more, and as I edited the photo I noticed something in the opposite corner. Water isn't normally bumpy. This is what you have to watch out for if you swim in warm fresh or brackish water in the South, and it's sure not easy to spot considering I only saw it now.


I think the eyes belonged to this guy, who I definitely noticed because he's only a few feet from the water's edge where I'm standing. I'm behind a guide rail but I don't think alligators obey manmade boundaries. Good bye!


This innocent pair of turtles is trying to avoid getting caught up in all of that gator commotion.


There are even more alligators outside the Everglades visitor center, as if commissioned to sun themselves and swim for gawking tourists. They forced me to give them closeups.


I've seen so many by now, they're almost starting to look cute.


Still more, of course. Click to watch one swim by and immerse yourself in the moment. Next time you see a wet roadside ditch, you'll flash back to Florida and twinge just ever so slightly with terror.


This Halloween pennant dragonfly is unlikely to get eaten or even noticed by the big reptiles, but my camera isn't so lazy.


Behind the visitor center there are still more alligators. You can't even tell if they're relaxing or dead, because they will stay immobile for hours during the hottest parts of the day. Unless you go over and see if they're breathing. Just assume the answer is "yes."


A look at the canal and the nearby path. I don't see any gators. That means there are probably only 15-20 of them hidden.


One thing I do see in the water is fish. These are either oscars or very similar cichlids, and thanks to Lex Piccione for helping me pin that ID down. Note the false eyespot by the tail, making it that much easier for these non-native fish to take over the Everglades.


If you don't recognize this fish, you may not be old enough to remember the pre-shark fascination with the long, slender, needle-nose barracuda. This one's eating a fish or turtle, and would be just as happy with your toes.


Speaking of turtle, here's a very large one, probably safe from a barracuda just due to size. He could stomp on its face.


Moving out of the water, enjoy a heron or two.


A little pudgier but also more colorful, the green heron.


The anhinga is my favorite swamp bird, also found in the bayous of Louisiana.


The male has more strikingly beautiful plumage and a dark neck. Although not visible here, there's also a crest of feathers around his head.

"I'm Batman!" Or the one-headed Albanian flag.

More animals
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