Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PYTHONS, GATORS & CROCS, OH MY!
GATORS
Alligators are common in the park, although not so much in the 10,000 Islands, as they
tend to avoid saltwater. If you do see an alligator, it probably won't bother you unless you
do something overtly threatening or angle your boat between it and its young. If you hear
an alligator making a loud hissing sound, get the hell out of Dodge. That's a call to other
alligators when a young gator is in danger. Finally, never feed an alligator - it's stupid and
illegal.
CROCS
Crocodiles are less common in the park, as they prefer coastal and saltwater habitats.
They are more aggressive than alligators, however, so the same rules apply. With perhaps
only a few hundred remaining in the USA, they are also an endangered species.
PANTHERS
The Florida panther is critically endangered, and although it is the state's official animal
its survival in the wild is by no means assured. There are an estimated 100 panthers left in
the wild, and although that number has increased from around 20 to 30 since the 1980s,
it's not cause for big celebration either. As usual, humans have been the culprit behind
this predator's demise. Widespread habitat reduction (ie the arrival of big subdivisions) is
the major cause of concern. In the past, poor data on panther populations and the ap-
proval of developments that have been harmful to the species' survival have occurred;
environmental groups contend the shoddy information was linked to financial conflicts of
interest. Breeding units, which consist of one male and two to five females, require about
200 sq miles of ground to cover, and that often puts panthers in the way of one of Flor-
ida's most dangerous beasts: drivers. Fifteen panthers were killed by cars in 2013.
If you're lucky enough to see one (and you gotta be pretty damn lucky), Florida pan-
thers are rather magnificent brown hunting cats (they are, in fact, cougars). They are ex-
tremely elusive and only inhabit 5% of their historic range. Many are relatively concen-
trated in
Big Cypress National Preserve
.
WEATHER
Thunderstorms and lightning are more common in summer than in winter. But in sum-
mer the insects are so bad you won't want to be outside anyway. In emergency weather,
