Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The American alligator is Florida's poster species, and they are ubiquitous in Central
and South Florida. They don't pose much of a threat to humans unless you do something
irredeemably stupid, like feed or provoke them. With that said, you may want to keep
small children and pets away from unfamiliar inland bodies of water.
South Florida is also home to the only North American population of American cro-
codile. Florida's crocs number around 1500; they prefer saltwater, and to distinguish them
from gators, check their smile - a croc's snout is more tapered and its teeth stick out.
Turtles, frogs and snakes love Florida, and nothing is cuter than watching bright skinks,
lizards and anoles skittering over porches and sidewalks. Cute doesn't always describe the
state's 44 species of snakes - though Floridian promoters emphasize that only six species
are poisonous, and only four of those are common. Feel better? Of the baddies, three are
rattlesnakes (diamondback, pygmy, canebrake), plus copperheads, cottonmouths and coral
snakes. The diamondback is the biggest (up to 7ft), most aggressive and most dangerous.
But rest assured, while cottonmouths live in and around water, most Florida water snakes
are not cottonmouths. Whew!
If you're not daunted by the prospect of playing with some of South Florida's scaliest
citizens, head to the delightful
Skunk Ape Research Headquarters
in the Everglades. The
zoo out back has to be one of the finest amateur reptile collections anywhere, and as a bo-
nus, you may just spot the eponymous Skunk Ape, the American South's version of Big-
foot/Yeti (actual chances: slim to none).
