Big Cypress/Everglades Questions - *TRIP UPDATE*

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mtratcliffe
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Big Cypress/Everglades Questions - *TRIP UPDATE*

Post by mtratcliffe »

Hey everyone,

I'll be taking the wife and kid with me in mid-May down Big Cypress and the Everglades for an extended weekend. While it's later in the year than I would prefer to go, I want to get out of town for a few days before a very busy month of work during June arrives. Plus, doing anything outdoors during the daytime in Florida is about to become miserable. My hope is that temps will stay in the 80s for the trip and the the mosquitoes won't be awful during the day, but we'll see. At the very least, we have a mosquito net for our son's stroller. Speaking of which, we will be pushing him in a stroller during our foot excursions, so I'll be targeting boardwalks and easy upland trails if and when we hike. I've made it clear to my wife that the purpose of this trip will be outdoors stuff - mostly herping. That said, I only plan on spending one evening herping as we'd like to relax, enjoy some local cuisine, and get our son to bed at a reasonable hour (by 8 PM).

I was hoping for a few recommendations for "Must Sees" and "Not worth the trouble" when it comes to the various stops along the main roads though each park. Here's the general plan I've laid out:

Day 1
- Drive from Tampa towards Naples
- Visit Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary or the Bird Rookery Swamp
- Spend the evening in Naples

Day 2
- Drive from Naples to Homestead area
- Spend most of the day in Big Cypress
- Possibly hike Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk, Kirby Storter Boardwalk, and Bobcat Boardwalk
- Possibly take a swamp buggy ride through Wooten's (not sure if worth it)
- Road cruise (one way) County Road 94. It looks like a dirt/sand road that's much quieter than Tamiami Trail, and I'd like to check it out if it won't slow us down too much. Can anyone offer insight into whether this road is worth checking out mid-day in May?
- Spend the evening in Miami Area

Day 3
- Drive Everglades Main Park Road and eat lunch in Flamingo
- Stop at Anhinga Trail and Pa-Hay-Okee Boardwalk on the way. Maybe even the Pinelands Trail.
- Spend most of the day in the park, get dinner in town, then roadcruise Main Park Road at night (I'm aware of the rules of roadcruising ENP).

Day 4
- Drive back to Tampa

If you don't want to discuss some sensitivities when it comes to these spots or others, please feel free to PM me. I appreciate any input, and hopefully I can hit up these parks again in cooler months.
Carl D. May
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions

Post by Carl D. May »

I can give you a few pointers about Day 3 in the ENP...

First, keep in mind that Flamingo is really nothing more than a marina and boat ramp. There is a little convenience store but no real restaurant per se. My wife would be really disappointed if I said, "lets drive all the way to Flamingo for lunch", only to discover microwave burritos, etc. There was (still is?) a little snack bar there that is open at odd hours.
But there is beer so...

One good thing about Flamingo though is that it is pretty much a sure bet for seeing American crocodiles. They are commonly sited right there around the marina docks.
If your a birder Flamingo is also a good stop as are the other little turnoffs along the Main Park Road (MPR) like Paurotis Pond, Nine Mile Pond, etc. Paurotis Pond is a good spot for roseate spoonbills and other big wading birds.
Mosquito levels in mid May will be pretty high but not as bad as a month later.

Anhinga Trail isn't a bad little spot to check out and it is popular with people who don't want to drive too far into the park to see great birds, TMTC 'gators, Pseudemys cooters, and Florida soft-shelled turtles.

Pa-Hay-Okee boardwalk is a nice stop if you're driving all the way to Flamingo. The elevated sections gives you an great view. But the mosquitoes can be baaaad.
The Flamingo area is the worst for mosquitoes though as you get those nasty salt marsh species that are fully active in broad daylight and occur by the millions.

One place to stop on the way into the Park is the Robert is Here fruit stand. Mostly for tourists (Roberts prices for tropical fruits and locally produced stuff are very high) but the exotic milkshakes (get the key lime) are great.
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Noah M
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions

Post by Noah M »

Have you considered Shark Valley? They offer a tram so walking can be minimized, plus you can see lots of neat birds and many, many gators.

Restaurant pickings between Naples and the Miami suburbs are limited. If you plan to spend a day between them, I would encourage a packed lunch.
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions

Post by BillMcGighan »

PM Sent


Looks like you have a pretty nice itinerary!
Day 3
- Drive Everglades Main Park Road and eat lunch in Flamingo
- Stop at Anhinga Trail and Pa-Hay-Okee Boardwalk on the way. Maybe even the Pinelands Trail.
- Spend most of the day in the park, get dinner in town, then roadcruise Main Park Road at night (I'm aware of the rules of roadcruising ENP).
Carl’s response was pretty much on, especially the insects. No-see-ums with turn you into a mummy in the mangroves.

So are Noah’s, especially the tram and walking the stroller around the entrance.

After a day in the park, Homestead has many fine eateries, but one of our favorite for sea food and convenience is the:
Farmer's Market Restaurant
300 S Krome Ave
Florida City, FL 33034



Some extra notes, keeping in mind you are pushing the stroller:
Flamingo has allot to offer IF YOU CAMP THERE. Before a hurricane hit a few years ago, it had a nice restaurant, where you could sip strawberry daquaris on the veranda in wicker chairs and watch the bay, while you ate shrimp cocktail.
Now it’s pretty much a hair over fast food.


Anhinga trail and Pa-Hay- Okee walk I have to recommend because you guys are pushing the buggy. Both are especially interesting at dusk and dark.
(From 1 ½ to 3 Years old, we found that a backpack type Gerry Carrier gave us more mobility in nature.)


Anhinga Trail gives those of us who don’t own $5,000 lenses a chance at closer bird, turtle, and sometimes snake shots (though I do get lens envy everytime we go there.)

On holidays, AT is one of our favorites for watching people-watching-nature. We have several stories for that.
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mtratcliffe
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions

Post by mtratcliffe »

Thanks for the replies and PMs. I'm starting to narrow down our agenda for Day 2. Has anyone walked Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk? It's in Fakahatchee Strand.
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Noah M
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions

Post by Noah M »

mtratcliffe wrote:Thanks for the replies and PMs. I'm starting to narrow down our agenda for Day 2. Has anyone walked Big Cypress Bend Boardwalk? It's in Fakahatchee Strand.

Yes. I can PM you later about it.
Lloyd Heilbrunn
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions

Post by Lloyd Heilbrunn »

I would definitely eat in Homestead somewhere.

I like Shivers BBQ.

There is also good Cuban food at, I think it is called, Marios.

I don't hike ENP so you need ask someone else, LOL.
robert
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions

Post by robert »

A suggestion and a question

1) I like eating at Rosita's in Homestead (just off Rt1 on the way to the park). Good food, inexpensive, and lots of it.

2) What are the rules for riding the main road in ENP? I go every summer and winter on my way to and from the Fl Keys to visit my brother. I always just ride (usually, there is no one at the main gate, and often I am the only one in the park). And sometimes I road cruise on my bike (It is a blast until you stop for a snake and the mosquitoes find you). So, am I doing anything illegal?

I will be down in June and don't want to get in trouble.
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mtratcliffe
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions

Post by mtratcliffe »

robert wrote:A suggestion and a question

1) I like eating at Rosita's in Homestead (just off Rt1 on the way to the park). Good food, inexpensive, and lots of it.

2) What are the rules for riding the main road in ENP? I go every summer and winter on my way to and from the Fl Keys to visit my brother. I always just ride (usually, there is no one at the main gate, and often I am the only one in the park). And sometimes I road cruise on my bike (It is a blast until you stop for a snake and the mosquitoes find you). So, am I doing anything illegal?

I will be down in June and don't want to get in trouble.
Roadcruising is allowed; you just can't give any indication that you are doing it in order to collect/harass animals. So no snake hooks, containers, etc. in your vehicle. When you stop for an animal, you are allowed to observe it, but touching it, even to move it off of the road, is prohibited. There are some other minor things to consider, but those are the two big ones.

Thank you for the dinner recommendation!
Carl D. May
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions

Post by Carl D. May »

As for dining, Robert mentioned Rosita's which is quite good...but it's in Florida City, not Homestead. He's correct in that it's right on Palm Drive (south side) as you head west toward the park. It's in 'downtown' Florida City.

Someone else mentioned Shiver's Barbeque...oh man, that place has been there forever! My dad played football in high school and later at UM with the original owner's son.
Lloyd Heilbrunn
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions

Post by Lloyd Heilbrunn »

Carl D. May wrote:As for dining, Robert mentioned Rosita's which is quite good...but it's in Florida City, not Homestead. He's correct in that it's right on Palm Drive (south side) as you head west toward the park. It's in 'downtown' Florida City.

Someone else mentioned Shiver's Barbeque...oh man, that place has been there forever! My dad played football in high school and later at UM with the original owner's son.

IIRC, the signs at Shiver's give sometime in the '50s as the founding date. :shock:
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mtratcliffe
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions *TRIP UPDATE*

Post by mtratcliffe »

More than 200 photos and 82 H.E.R.P. entries later, I'm ready to report on my trip! I'd say it was a worthwhile excursion overall, even if only for being able to finally glimpse the unique habitat of the main part of Everglades National Park. If you know me, then you know that I get excited at any herp sighting, even if it is just another Alligator, Skink, or Cooter. However, for the first two and a half days of the trip, that was just about exclusively what I saw. I know it's the end of the dry season in Florida, but we've been having occasional thunderstorms since April, yet I was very much surprised to see just how low the water levels were at some of the places we visited. Most of the boardwalks (apart from Anhinga Trail) had only a few spots along them with any appreciable water, and those spots were so low that rarely was there a gator or turtle hanging out there. Watersnakes were not to be seen (until the last night), and there was not much on the roads during the day due to the hot sun.

That said, the weather was fairly cooperative for this time of year. It was not unbearably hot at any point, despite the sun being intense this time of year. The bugs were never too bad either, save for the Deer Flies at one boardwalk in Collier County. Even the mosquitoes at Flamingo and in ENP at night were tolerable compared to what I've experienced here in Tampa. Despite the lack of initial diversity, we all had a great time, and had some interesting Alligator encounters, from a juvenile swimming right up to me, or when I started two recent hatchlings, and the time we had to walk within about 12 feet of a young adult gator in order to continue down a trail. I had hoped my wife and I could find a crocodile at Flamingo, but it was high tide when we made it down there and none were to be seen.

The part of the trip I had hyped myself up for the most was roadcruising ENP at night, which happened on the third night, our last night of the trip. I was highly anticipating that night, where I would be leaving my wife and kid back in the hotel room in hopes of turning up something I've never seen before. Prior to that roadcruise, the only herps we had seen were two species of lizards, three species of turtles, a metric ton of gators, a single Everglades Racer (lifer), and the calls from a few frogs. Thankfully, that night did not disappoint, even if it seemed as if I should have turned up more snakes than I did given just how long Main Park Road is. My final tally for that night was a Brown Watersnake, a Peninsula Ribbonsnake, quite a few Pig Frogs, one DOR FL Green Watersnake, two FL Scarletsnakes (lifer), and a FL Cottonmouth (first one I've roadcruised). I also drove all the way down to Flamingo as part of the roadcruise, and found another herper down there showing his friends around. While there, we saw a ghastly figure stalking the docks, and orange light-reflecting eyes dotting the surface of the canal. It was a very different experience at night than at daytime, and I'll talk to that more later. The herper I met (Jake Coker I think - anyone know the name?) gave me a few roadcrusing tidbits and told me of a good spot to find Pygmies, but I didn't have time to check it out.

Enough talk for now - here are some photos, starting from Day 1 and going in roughly chronological order:

We drove down from Tampa on Thursday, at lunch near Ft. Myers, and then checked out the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Lee County. I was expecting a lush swamp teeming with gators, snakes, and the like, but this place was almost completely dried up. I feel like I need to come back in the fall at the end of the rainy season, when I'm sure it's a lot different. We saw eight different Green Anoles here, and they are of the Southern subspecies. We also saw a Skink, two Pileated Woodpeckers, a Wood Stork, and a few other odds and ends.

Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis seminolus)

ImageDSCN7196 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

As you can see, the dewlap on this one is not bright red as it is in the Northern subspecies.

ImageDSCN7221 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7223 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Most of the Green Anoles I saw were bright green, but there were a few that were brown.

ImageDSCN7240 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

We saw a few of these insects - does anyone know what they are? Also, it may or may not be eating that fecal matter. Eww.

ImageDSCN7228 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Our son after waking up from a sweaty nap.

ImageDSCN7249 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

The only gator that we saw - it was actively foraging.

ImageDSCN7250 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

I photographed this Lubber Grasshopper on the way to our hotel. This would be the first of many hundreds that I would see between Big Cypress and the Everglades. There were just so many of them, and the blotches on the road from when they were run over played hell on my eyes at night. I definitely stopped for a few that I thought were snakes.

ImageDSCN7267 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

On Friday, we left Naples and started our trek across Big Cypress, and ended our day in Homestead. Our first stop was a boardwalk off of Tamiami Trail in Fakahatchee Strand.

This gator was very close to the trail.

ImageDSCN7269 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

There was a canal that paralleled the trail that had some FL Redbellied Cooters in it.

ImageDSCN7271 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7290 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7291 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

One male SE Five-lined Skink was observed off of the boardwalk.

ImageDSCN7275 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Here's a close-up of a Lubber Grasshopper.

ImageDSCN7283 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

This young Gator swam up to me as I was photographing one of the Cooters.

ImageDSCN7288 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

A neat fish I saw in the canal - not sure if it's native or not.

ImageDSCN7294 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

After a brief stop at Turner River, we decided to drive Loop Road and eat lunch at the end in Miccosukee. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see on the road itself, and most of the waterways that pass under the road or that were adjacent to it were shallow and mostly dry. We saw only one young Gator on the first half of the road.

ImageDSCN7305 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Most waterways had no more water in them than this one. I was hoping to see a Chicken Turtle hanging out near some standing water, but I turned up empty in that department.

ImageDSCN7309 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7312 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Later on, well after the road enters Collier County, there were some canals and natural waterways along Loop Road that held more water. There were plenty of Gators to see in that stretch.

ImageDSCN7313 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7314 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7316 by Mathew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7317 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7319 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7341 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Some of the Gators were lounging high up on limestone outcroppings.

ImageDSCN7325 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Some more habitat along the road.

ImageDSCN7329 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Mayan Cichlid

ImageDSCN7333 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Found this young one belly-up in a roadside canal.

ImageDSCN7339 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

The next two photos are from another boardwalk in Big Cypress on our way home to Tampa on Monday. Again, water levels were really low, but I did see hundreds of tadpoles in one remaining pond. It's possible they are Squirrel Treefrog tadpoles as I heard them calling nearby.

ImageDSCN7541 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

I also managed to get a good shot of this beautiful male Regal Darner.

ImageDSCN7543 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Ok, let's go back to Saturday. After driving Loop Road and getting lunch, we stopped at Shark Valley, which is part of ENP. I was disappointed to find out that you had to either walk, bike, or take the tram to the observation mile, which was several miles from the parking lot. Plus, the tram was only running every couple of hours. We decided to just walk the path for half a mile, but even then we saw a few neat creatures.

Florida Gar

ImageDSCN7347 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Red-shouldered Hawk - these birds make a lot of noise.

ImageDSCN7353 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Gator through the brush.

ImageDSCN7363 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

While trying to get a photo of a larger Gator, I scared these two young ones, which were likely less than a year in age.

ImageDSCN7365 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7368 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

We found another young one on a trail where we hoped to see some River Otters, but no luck (likely due to the low water levels).

ImageDSCN7377 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

A few more random finds:

ImageDSCN7378 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7381 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7382 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Sunday was our third day, and the day I looked forward to most, as it brought us deep into the heart of the Everglades! I'm glad that we decided to pack a lunch for the day, as it turned out that the cafe down in Flamingo is closed this time of year. Whew!

We started our day off at the famous Anhinga Trail. Also, has anyone else noticed that the Germans really, really love to visit the Everglades?

This adult Gator was just off of the trail, but it didn't bother anyone. Here we are being irresponsible parents!

ImageDSCN7390 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7392 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

FL Redbellied Cooter

ImageDSCN7394 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

This one was trying to eat the flower.

ImageDSCN7415 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Our boy had a lot of fun running around on the boardwalk!

ImageDSCN7421 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

He's taking after his daddy already!

ImageDSCN7422 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Some scenery shots from the Main Park. I love the gradual transition of habitat from pine uplands, to sawgrass prairie with hardwood hammocks, to mangrove forests.

ImageDSCN7450 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7451 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7453 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Here you can see just how shallow the Shark River is this time of year.

ImageDSCN7454 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

At this point in the trip, I hadn't seen anything but a single DOR Everglades Racer. Finally, when returning to my car at the Mahagony Hammock trail, I spotted this lifer Everglades Racer behind the sign. It slowly slithered into the woods as I drew my camera. No "great" photos were taken, but it was more cooperative than a lot of other Racers I've encountered.

ImageDSCN7458 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7461 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Here's a panoramic shot my wife took at Mahogany Hammock.

ImageDSCN7468 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Solution holes in a limestone bed at Pa-Hay-Okee.

ImageDSCN7470 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

View from Pa-Hay-Okee.

ImageDSCN7473 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

I was surprised to find the SE Five-lined Skink this deep into the Everglades.

ImageDSCN7477 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

All right, now it's time for the grande finale - roadcruising ENP at night! While I may have hyped myself up a little too much for this, I am still quite happy with the finds I turned up. Somehow I expected there to be way more snakes on the road, especially since I drove the entire length down to Flamingo and back. The herpers I ran into at Flamingo mentioned finding a lot of Corn Snakes on the road, but I never saw one. But I did turn up one awesome lifer on the main road, and another down in Flamingo itself.

First find of the night - a Brown Watersnake. It didn't even move the whole time I took photographs. I found this one just as the sun was setting.

ImageDSCN7482 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7488 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7489 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

A very long Peninsular Ribbonsnake.

ImageDSCN7494 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7496 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

My lifer Scarletsnake - it hid in the grass shortly after this photo was taken. Oddly enough, I found both of them in the mangrove portion of the park. I didn't not figure that to be their sort of habitat.

ImageDSCN7504 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Here's the second one - it was much more photogenic, and also quite a bit larger.

ImageDSCN7505 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7507 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7508 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Last snake of the night, found on my way out of the park - FL Cottonmouth. This is only the second one I've ever seen. It was actually only mid-sized for a Cottonmouth, as the other one I saw back in March was much longer and thicker.

ImageDSCN7524 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

I wasn't able to get it to open its mouth up in a defensive display, but it did rattle its tail a few times.

ImageDSCN7527 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7532 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Lots of Pig Frogs on the road - here are a few of them. Also heard Cricket Frogs and Green Tree Frogs calling.

ImageDSCN7520 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7519 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7498 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7493 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

There is one more great find from the night to share. I am willing to be that some of you have seen this very individual, but encountering your very first American Crocodile at nighttime is quite the experience. These creatures are quite a bit more intimidating/creepy in appearance than any Alligator, which look friendly by comparison. American Crocodiles are shy by nature, but this one individual was night. The group of herpers down at Flamingo were watching this one when I pulled up, and it was one of several in the area. Another large adult was hanging out by the boat ramp, and I was able to shine several sets of eyes out in the canal. The individual pictured below kept swimming under the dock we were on, and we guessed that someone had been feeding it. It was not afraid of us at all, and actually approached the girls at one point, even crawling partially up the boat ramp. That could have gone bad, but thankfully it slipped back into the water without incident.

Below, you can see just how eerie these Crocodiles are when partially or wholly submerged. When you see them, something does not seem right, as you are likely used to the unmistakable shape of an Alligator. They almost appear alien, some variety of foreign aquatic wraith that also seems to know you are there. It was both unsettling and enthralling - I highly suggest looking for these rare beasts at night. Just be aware of your surroundings!

ImageDSCN7513 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN7514 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Oddly enough, this one looks a lot less frightening out of the water. This was when it crawled up the boat ramp. The group of girls are standing to the right, just out of the frame.

ImageDSCN7517 by Matthew Ratcliffe, on Flickr

I hope you all enjoyed my stories and pictures! I really need to make it down there again sometime, hopefully when the waters are higher.
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mtratcliffe
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions

Post by mtratcliffe »

Bump - trip report is out, but it was an edit of a previous post so it didn't bump this thread to the top.
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Noah M
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions - *TRIP UPDATE*

Post by Noah M »

Looks like you had a great time. There are a bunch of neat places down there, and it sure looks like you did really well for only having 3 days to get out and around.
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mtratcliffe
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions - *TRIP UPDATE*

Post by mtratcliffe »

captainjack0000 wrote:Looks like you had a great time. There are a bunch of neat places down there, and it sure looks like you did really well for only having 3 days to get out and around.
Yeah, I think I did pretty well given the time constraints and having a toddler with us. I'd definitely need a few more days dedicated to ENP too feel as if I really got to explore the place.
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BillMcGighan
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Re: Big Cypress/Everglades Questions - *TRIP UPDATE*

Post by BillMcGighan »

Pretty darn good with toddler!!!!!!

Pic - Boy non boardwalk = No. 1
No one should have that much fun in the everglades!!!!
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