A truly magnificent, primordial creature.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

Has to be at least 15 feet, maybe a little more. I've never seen one in the wild quite that large. There's a sense of intimidation mixed with wonder and awe whenever you see an alligator. A couple of weeks ago I was kayaking and saw one swim just about 40 feet ahead of me. The thing is, if you respect them and give them their space, they're not going to be interested in you.

Crocodilians are the closest thing we have to dinosaurs still around, and be honest: we all loved dinosaurs when we were kids. Seeing this makes me feel sort of young.

[johnp3907]

1. I still love dinosaurs.

But alligators scare me to death. "I was kayaking and saw one swim just about 40 feet ahead of me." If that were me I imagine some sort of classic cartoon scenario playing out where I jump straight from the kayak into an open grave and then pull the dirt and tombstone over myself.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

2. My heart raced just a little faster, I'll admit.

Especially since I was in an inflatable kayak and I'm assuming that it would fare pretty poorly against the alligator's jaws if ever tested.

But he had no interest in me. He was about 7-8 feet--a decent size--but was ambling along. He headed left, I yielded the way and moved to the right. He then ducked his head under the water and that was that.

I will admit after passing him, I did a couple of double checks behind me just to make sure he didn't reappear and was tailing me.

[johnp3907]

3. My heart races just reading your account!

Where I kayak there's nothing like gators. Even the snakes I see on the bike trails are usually just northern watersnakes.

[cvoogt]

4. thought you meant Trump

but the video was cool anyway

[Buns_of_Fire]

11. For a moment, I thought the same thing.

The T-Rump was a cousin of the T-Rex, with many of the same physical characteristics (big mouth, little paws), but is generally considered the dumbest of the dinosaurs...

But then I saw the word "magnificent," and knew it had to be about something else.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

17. I'd never charactarize Trump as being magnificent.

Not even as a magnificent bastard.

[cvoogt]

32. I thought

that maybe this was his description of himself ..

[pinboy3niner]

5. When is his Cabinet confirmation hearing?

[Motown_Johnny]

6. What a Croc....

Crocodilian that is.

[pinboy3niner]

7. Thumb up!

[TheBlackAdder]

8. If you are on land, they can sprint up to 40 MPH, chasing down any human and can turn on a dime.

[Orrex]

13. As the story goes, I only have to run faster than my pal

[raccoon]

15. If I were any of those people in the video, I wouldn't stay that close to him. nt

[csziggy]

9. That's at the Circle B Bar Reserve just south of Lakeland, Florida

I've been there several times. It's a wonderful place to watch birds. Last visit we took a guided tram ride and saw bald eagles, limpkins and had to stop for a pair of sandhill cranes who were displaying on the road.

Named after a cattle ranch that once existed on this property, Circle B Bar Reserve was jointly acquired by the Polk County Environmental Lands Program and the District to protect the floodplain of the lake and to restore the Banana Creek marsh system. The property is maintained by Polk County. Much of the property had previously been converted to pasture, but in 2005 and 2006, restoration projects were completed to restore much of the original hydrologic function of the lands. As a result of the marsh system restoration project, Circle B is now home to some of the most impressive bird activity on District property. The tremendous bird population includes a variety of wading birds, waterfowl, ospreys and bald eagles. Alligators inhabit Lake Hancock and may be observed at a distance from shore or from a pier. Oak hammock, freshwater marsh, hardwood swamp and the lakeshore are among the unique characteristics of this property.
https://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/recreation/areas/circlebbarreserve.html

A few years ago when we were hiking through, a big gator - no where near as large as the one in the video - was sunning along a path. Some Japanese tourists were getting close to take photos with it. I was kind of freaking out and tried to warn them to not get too close but they didn't understand English and didn't understand me.

Here are some shots from our last visit:

Limpkin


Sandhill crane


Pair of sandhill cranes


Anhinga


Cormorant (note the hooked bill)

[Ilsa]

10. Glad you know your birds. The limpkin is the only

One I was unfamiliar with, although I didn't see very many anhingas when I lived in the coast.

[csziggy]

16. Yes, cormorants tend to fill the niche along most coasts

But in most of Florida cormorant and anhinga territories overlap. The pictures I posted of the two species are good for noting the main difference between them - the cormorant's hooked bill and the anhinga's straight one.

Up here where I am northeast of Tallahassee we seldom see the cormorants - while we have the lakes, the hilly land tends to discourage them from flying in from the coast.

As for knowing my birds - I started bird watching with a great aunt when I was a kid. My husband's parents helped start the Audubon group in Panama City, Florida and his great grandfather was a world recognized bird watcher and photographer. So most of our vacations involve some sort of bird watching.

[Ilsa]

18. Before kids, my husband and I

Trekked all over the Texas coast. It a great migratory path. There were birds we saw once, and only once, in twenty years. Other beautiful, colorful species were sighted between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande. Of course with the Aransas Wildlife Refuge nearby, we could visit the whooping cranes. We used to keep a bird list, but it's gotten lost since the kids came along.

[csziggy]

20. My husband really wants to visit Aransas Wildlife Refuge!

A high school friend of mine was married to one of the park rangers there - but they've moved away now.

If you're in Florida go to Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge just north of the Kennedy Space Center. This time of year it has some of the best bird watching in Florida. We spent most of a week going there every day and took about 1500 photos during the trip. Lots of roseate spoonbills, duck, night herons, and of course all the common birds. If your kids are still young, you can take them to the Space Center which is pretty cool. And of course there are always the theme parks in Orlando.

[Ilsa]

24. We went to the space center a couple of summers ago, but

Didn't think about Merritt Island until we were leaving. I think hubby wants to go back just for that. We really enjoyed seeing the shuttle and doing all of that, even though it was spur of the moment. We went to one of the big Orlando theme parks the next day.

About Aransas NWR: go in late late fall for more comfort. South Tx stays hot until winter arrives, and spring is usually warm, but not hot. Be prepared for mosquitoes if it is a warm season. But yes, your list will grow substantially, and not just with shore birds. Vireos, warblers, hummingbirds, green jays, buntings, tanagers, etc.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

25. People don't realize how absolutely incredible Florida's wild areas are.

They just think of Orlando and South Beach. If they're lucky, they might think of the Keys. Or they'll just write off the land as flat and uninteresting.

But Florida has some of the absolute best areas for viewing some of the most diverse wildlife you'll ever come across.

[csziggy]

26. Yes - and that is where I go instead of the beaches or theme parks

Growing up in Central Florida we'd go to the parks with facilities built during the Depression - Highlands Hammock was one of our favorites and it still looks very much like it did in the 1950s and 60s when my sisters and I would run around in the woods there.

I hate the theme parks and don't have a body built to be seen in a bathing suit on the beach so we don't go those places. We visit state and national parks - and even the county or municipal parks that some many communities have.

The Great Florida Birding Trail is a fantastic resource. While it concentrates on places to see birds, other wildlife is usually visible in the same locations.

[Warren DeMontague]

12. Wow.

damn.

[Orrex]

14. Why did the gator cross the road?

Because it felt like it, dammit. Are you gonna tell it otherwise?

[MoonRiver]

19. I'm making my grandson a dinosaur pillow case!

Yes, little ones, and big ones too, love dinos!

[nolabear]

21. He's fabulous. I used to canoe in the bayous and they never worried me.

Frankly the gar scared the crap out of me. They'd lie just beneath the surface and you never knew they were there til they flipped and dove.

But gators are beautiful in that old way, and surprisingly smart and relational. I hope they let that bad boy alone. With that throat flap I'll bet you can hear him for half a mile!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

22. I just hope the virility of the video doesn't put him in danger.

There are always those yahoos who see something like this and their first instinct is to want to kill it.

[nolabear]

23. I know.

[csziggy]

27. The photos were taken in a county reserve - Circle B Bar - see my post above

Unless he gets out on Lake Hancock and comes ashore on some of the private land on the other parts of the lake, he will be safe. But I would bet that big boy knows exactly where he is safe and where he could be in danger. In the Reserve there are plenty of birds, fish and other wildlife for his meals and lots of area for him to hang out without being hurt so he doesn't have much reason to go where he might be hunted.

[PlanetBev]

28. If I ever saw one of those things

I'd go into immediate cardiac arrest.

[GoCubsGo]

29. It's so seldom one gets to see one that's large enough to have a dewlap.

Very cool! This guy was probably born before the Endangered Species Act protected his species, so he's a true survivor!

I spent years working swamps, and have had my share of encounters with these critters. And, yep. Unless you get near a mama on her nest, they don't want anything to do with you. (The same goes for cottonmouths and other snakes, btw.) That being said, I never ran into a gator that big. I think I would have soiled myself, had I done so.

BTW, they're saying this guy was only 12 feet or so long. Regardless, he's damn intimidating! Would love to have seen him!

[Tommy_Carcetti]

31. He has to be longer than 12 feet long, IMHO.

That path looks to be at least 8 feet wide, and by the time his body had cleared the path, there was still at least 6-7 feet of tail left.

Rule of thumb is that a good measurement for a gator is to measure between the eyes and the bulb of the snout, and convert from inches to feet.

[2naSalit]

30. Birds are also

considered remnants of dinosaurs as well as some fish, like sturgeon.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

33. Brings to mind this: