Florida 2015 - Gatorland part one - Gators and other critters.

On Tuesday, Feb 24, we went to Gatorland with Jo and Eric Carleton.  Had a great day, regardless of a little rain now and then.  I took a LOT of pictures, and decided to divide the blog into 2 parts.  This one involves gators and other critters.

I'm quite sure that everyone who has ever been to Gatorland has a picture like this one!

Of course, alligators are a large part of this park, and there are hundreds - actually, probably  even thousands of them, throughout the park.

This poor old guy looks a little the worse for wear - has probably been in a fight with another gator or a croc.  He has one "stump" and a pretty nasty looking eye.

This is not a great shot - too much reflection on the glass, but I thought it was a cool house for a snake, and he was curled up in it when we arrived.

We watched a gator wrestling show which was quite entertaining, and well done.

We wondered what kind of turtle these smooth ones were, and when I googled it, it looks like they are "Florida Soft-shelled Turtles", with leathery shells.

About noon, we watched the Gator Jumparoo Show, which was also quite entertaining, and a good time to be under a roof, since it started to rain about then.

Bubba and Cooter made the Jumparoo show fun - a pair of clowns, though very BRAVE clowns!

This is a Nile Crocodile, with the distinction of having killed more people than any other - largely because they are in highly populated areas.

This is one really big tortoise!

This big cat is a Florida Panther - I didn't know they were so big!  There is a brother and sister at Gatorland.

Another show we watched was one called "Up-close Encounters".  One of the critters in this show was a tarantula.

At this part of the show, these 4 people had to stand with arms outstretched and eyes closed.  When this python was laid across their arms, the guy in the purple shirt took off like a shot!  It was hilarious - MADE the show!  They coaxed him back, but I don't think he ever did touch that thing!  And I don't blame him!

 

 There were a couple of bobcats in the Bobcat Bayou.

This is a fascinating creature!  It is a totally white alligator - not albino, but an actual breed.  They are very rare, and are called Leucistic Alligators.

The main difference between an alligator and a crocodile is the shape of its snout.  The croc has a long skinny snout, but the gator has a shorter, broader snout.  This fellow is obviously a crocodile.

There were places to buy food for the critters, and someone was feeding this group.  They were climbing all over each other, snapping up the goodies.

Look out Jo!



....until part two, which involves my favorites - birds.....