Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
KEEPERS OF THE EVERGLADES
Anyone who has dipped a paddle among the saw grass and hardwood hammocks of Ever-
glades National Park wouldn't quibble with the American alligator's Florida sobriquet,
'Keeper of the Everglades.' With snout, eyeballs, and pebbled back so still they hardly
ripple the water's surface, alligators have watched over the Glades for more than 200 mil-
lion years.
It's impossible to count Florida's wild alligators, but estimates are that 1.5 million lum-
ber among the state's lakes, rivers and golf courses. No longer officially endangered, they
remain protected because they resemble the still-endangered American crocodile. Allig-
ator served in restaurants typically comes from licensed alligator farms, though since
1988, Florida has conducted an annual alligator harvest, open to nonresidents, that al-
lows two alligators per person.
Alligators are alpha predators that keep the rest of the food chain in check, and their
'gator holes' become vital water cups in the dry season and during droughts, aiding the
entire wetlands ecosystem. Alligators, which live for about 30 years, can grow up to 14ft
long and weigh 1000lb.
A vocal courtship begins in April, and mating takes place in May and June. By late June,
females begin laying nests of 30 to 45 eggs, which incubate for two months before hatch-
ing. On average, only four alligators per nest survive to adulthood.
Alligators hunt in water, often close to shore; typically, they run on land to flee, not to
chase. In Florida, an estimated 15 to 20 nonfatal attacks on humans occur each year, and
there have been 22 fatal attacks since 1948.
Some estimate an alligator's top short-distance land speed at 30mph, but it's a myth
that you must zigzag to avoid them. The best advice is to run in a straight line as fast as
your little legs can go.
Sea Turtles
Most sea-turtle nesting in the continental US occurs in Florida. Predominantly three spe-
cies create over 80,000 nests annually, mostly on southern Atlantic Coast beaches but ex-
tending to all Gulf Coast beaches. Most are loggerhead, followed by far fewer green and
leatherback, and historically hawksbill and Kemp's ridley as well; all five species are en-
dangered or threatened. The leatherback is the largest, attaining 10ft and 2000lb.
