Gators or snakes: Ever been seen at Grand Floridian??

[smallblackstars]

I have never seen a gator at any of the resorts I have stayed at or at WDW in general but everytime I have been I have seen snakes. They aren't huge python type things just small to medium sized snakes trying to get on with their lives. At SSR last year there was a little snake living somewhere near our room in Congress Park, we saw it almost every morning at the same patch of grass sunning itself but it was scared and slithered away when it heard anyone coming (probably due to people chasing it, poor wee thing!) We did see it one afternoon with it's lunch, one of the little lizards that had been in the wrong place at the wrong time! We also saw it being chased away by some squirrels one morning.

[SwimBikeRun]

Gators are cool, as is all wildlife.....EXCEPT snakes.

Serious question.....are there a lot of poisonous ones in the area? I can "sort of" deal with snakes if they're of the small variety and I know that they are not poisonous. No poisonous snakes where I live.

What about spiders? Any poisonous ones down there?

[smallblackstars]

Oooh! We also saw what CM's called a 'water rat' in the MK about 10 years ago. It was in the water under the bridge to Cinderella's Castle. It was pretty large, about the size of a large rabbit and was swimming through the water and coming up the banks to happily pick up popcorn and chips that people were throwing to it. I know people tend to think badly of rats ( I don't, they are awesome) but this thing was super duper cute and I think he felt like a bit of a celebrity with all the attention he got!

[minnie mum]

Originally Posted by SwimBikeRun

Gators are cool, as is all wildlife.....EXCEPT snakes.

Serious question.....are there a lot of poisonous ones in the area? I can "sort of" deal with snakes if they're of the small variety and I know that they are not poisonous. No poisonous snakes where I live.

What about spiders? Any poisonous ones down there?

Some of those cute little snakes that smallblackstars was gushing over could easily have been a coral snake, water moccasin, or copperhead- all venomous. Don't let the size fool you. A baby rattlesnake can inflict just as deadly a bite as an adult.

And yes, poisonous spiders are native, including black widows and brown recluses.

Here's a link you may find useful: http://www.poisoncentertampa.org/venomous-critters.aspx

[minnie mum]

Originally Posted by smallblackstars

Oooh! We also saw what CM's called a 'water rat' in the MK about 10 years ago.

Also known as a muskrat.

[Turn the Page]

Originally Posted by Princess Katherine

While my mom and I were taking the monorail to Magic Kingdom from the Poly one morning we saw a cottonmouth slither across one of the grounds at the GF. I thought it was a stick.

It was big enough to see from the monorail!?!?!?! That's it. I'm never going to Florida again. Disneyland here I come.

[Sammie]

This snake went shopping at Epcot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KXbL6jEqMc

Gators:

In the Seven Seas Lagoon near the Grand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZEEmPLdzr4

Shades of Green: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTGlE56v6hE

Near Splash Mt. :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1ZqrnJkQuQ

Near Caribbean Beach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ27lMiww3c

These are shared not to freak anyone, don't watch them if you are that freaked, but I always find these threads interesting that people truly do not realize that in Florida, even Disney World, snakes and gators are a given.

Sadly people feed them which is really stupid, as it is dangerous. They begin to associate humans with easy food and eventually it means the death of the gator.

Never heard of anyone being hurt or bothered by the gators, there was a child bitten by water moccasin in the shrubs of a Disney resort.

Lesson, stay on the walkways and out of the shrubs and grassy areas and away from bodies of water. The child lost his toy and reached into the shrubs to get the toy and got bit on the hand.

As to poisonous snakes, as someone asked, the most common would be the water moccasin and the pigmy rattler.

The cutest Gators are at POFQ: http://disneyphotoblog.files.wordpre...10/02/pofq.jpg

[smallblackstars]

I think it's fair to say yes there are snakes and gators about but they won't have any impact on your trip other than being something fun to observe (if you like wildlife), a good photo opportunity and a reminder that you are in Florida :D If you see any just be calm and avoid them and if you get a bit of a shock seeing one don't panic (too much) just walk away and have a giggle about the gator/snake that made you jump!

[EagleScout]

Thanks- i may pause before doing the little "mickey racer" boats!

[snarlingcoyote]

There are also a LOT of non-poisonous snakes in Florida, and the poisonous ones? Mainly want to be left alone. Don't pester them, put your hand in their faces, threaten them etc. and you can just watch the wildlife.

I've nearly stepped on a cottonmouth before - when a large predator approaches, they just go perfectly still and hope you mistake them for a fallen branch. But for that tatic, instead of slithering away, they're called aggressive by some people. In reality, it means you have to watch, because if you step on one, of course they're going to react. Still, it also means you can get right up on one and check it out with no fear.

Water moccasins, generally are also pretty shy. I've had some big old 6 footers who were like "yeah, what you gonna do about it?" when I crossed paths with them, unlike the little ones who are more "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! HUMAN!" but we just eyeballed each other and went on our ways. (I can't count the moccasins I've run across in my lifetime. My family has that rarest of rare things in SW Louisiana - a crystal clear, spring fed pond. No one ever goes back there, so it is FULL of moccasins. Before they clear cut the land around it, it was also huckleberry central. Huckleberries are worth eyeballing a few moccasins. . .)

Rattlers will defend themselves much more readily if they feel threatened, but even then, if you aren't trying to walk on them, or shoot them, or run them down with a hoe or something, they recognize you are the bigger predator and that they, in this instance, would be prey, so if you don't act crazy, they're just like "oh, thanks for not killing me" and they slither on their way. Corals can be a little cranky (I think it's their size - they are itsy little snakes!) but unless you stick your hand in a load of pine straw or something similar, you can't miss them. And remember "red against yellow can kill a fellow, red against black is a friend of jack." The red against black snakes are rather docile little non-poisonous snakes. The red against yellow are coral. Give them a little room and they'll be glad to leave you alone!

In addition, a lot of the snakes you see are non-poisonous. King snakes and corn snakes, for example, are all so docile in the presence of humans that you can scoop one up from the outdoors and set it up in a terrarium! (Not that I would, personally.) Others, not so much - they may not be poisonous, but they have a little self-respect. Racers, coachwhips, rat snakes and hog nosed come to mind. Still, if you are extremely careful (they will run if spooked unless cornered so that they can't, then they will get all panicked and bite - so don't corner one or get all up in its grill - just give it room to slither off in a terrified manner if it spots you and starts getting worried about what you're cooking for supper and you're fine), you can observe these snakes as well.

All native snakes, whether non-poisonous or poisonous, are important to the ecosystem of Florida and serve an important function. They are not looking for humans, they do not want to bother us. Leave them alone, they'll leave you alone!

Oh, and the kicker? I used to have a phobia of snakes. The older I get and the more I learn about the conservation of land, the more I appreciate all wildlife, including snakes.

[Bell30012]

We were on Tom Sawyer Island a few years back when someone screamed that there was an alligator. They had all the guests get down where the boats land and in no time flat three guys got that sucker. They had to be close by because they were there in minutes. The lead guy fancied himself Crocodile Dundee. He had the hat and rugged look but not the accent. He talked to all the kids and told jokes.

He told us that they had been hunting that alligator every morning for a week. He said no one could spot it. But then Rope Drop and the first guests on the island looking for paint brushes and he would come out.

You know why that alligator had to leave? He didn't buy a ticket! Kids were laughing like crazy. Everyone got pins and his autograph.

At Grand Floridian we saw a small non-poisonous snake being removed by a cast member from the area by the workout center.

[deserrai]

Originally Posted by snarlingcoyote

There are also a LOT of non-poisonous snakes in Florida, and the poisonous ones? Mainly want to be left alone. Don't pester them, put your hand in their faces, threaten them etc. and you can just watch the wildlife.

I've nearly stepped on a cottonmouth before - when a large predator approaches, they just go perfectly still and hope you mistake them for a fallen branch. But for that tatic, instead of slithering away, they're called aggressive by some people. In reality, it means you have to watch, because if you step on one, of course they're going to react. Still, it also means you can get right up on one and check it out with no fear.

Water moccasins, generally are also pretty shy. I've had some big old 6 footers who were like "yeah, what you gonna do about it?" when I crossed paths with them, unlike the little ones who are more "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! HUMAN!" but we just eyeballed each other and went on our ways. (I can't count the moccasins I've run across in my lifetime. My family has that rarest of rare things in SW Louisiana - a crystal clear, spring fed pond. No one ever goes back there, so it is FULL of moccasins. Before they clear cut the land around it, it was also huckleberry central. Huckleberries are worth eyeballing a few moccasins. . .)

Rattlers will defend themselves much more readily if they feel threatened, but even then, if you aren't trying to walk on them, or shoot them, or run them down with a hoe or something, they recognize you are the bigger predator and that they, in this instance, would be prey, so if you don't act crazy, they're just like "oh, thanks for not killing me" and they slither on their way. Corals can be a little cranky (I think it's their size - they are itsy little snakes!) but unless you stick your hand in a load of pine straw or something similar, you can't miss them. And remember "red against yellow can kill a fellow, red against black is a friend of jack." The red against black snakes are rather docile little non-poisonous snakes. The red against yellow are coral. Give them a little room and they'll be glad to leave you alone!

In addition, a lot of the snakes you see are non-poisonous. King snakes and corn snakes, for example, are all so docile in the presence of humans that you can scoop one up from the outdoors and set it up in a terrarium! (Not that I would, personally.) Others, not so much - they may not be poisonous, but they have a little self-respect. Racers, coachwhips, rat snakes and hog nosed come to mind. Still, if you are extremely careful (they will run if spooked unless cornered so that they can't, then they will get all panicked and bite - so don't corner one or get all up in its grill - just give it room to slither off in a terrified manner if it spots you and starts getting worried about what you're cooking for supper and you're fine), you can observe these snakes as well.

All native snakes, whether non-poisonous or poisonous, are important to the ecosystem of Florida and serve an important function. They are not looking for humans, they do not want to bother us. Leave them alone, they'll leave you alone!

Oh, and the kicker? I used to have a phobia of snakes. The older I get and the more I learn about the conservation of land, the more I appreciate all wildlife, including snakes.

Thanks for the education. I've lived in Florida my entire life and I find all of this very interesting. I don't want to buddy up with a snake, but I find it fascinating to watch them. My fear of them is always that I will step on one without seeing it. I have heard before that they will just go still and not bother you unless you bother it so I try to be careful where I step.

[webby3]

Fascinating thread - back in 2007 I was staying at WL. I was out running early morning and saw a small gator towards Fort Wilderness.....I thought it was so cool...then I remembered 2 days later I was doing a triathlon with the swim in Bay Lake.

I'm still here though

[tinawv]

During our stay at PO-Riverside last August, we saw a medium length snake at the quiet pool while swimming one night. Also, my daughter was walking our granddaughter back from the foodcourt one evening when when she ran ahead of her into the bushes along the walkway. She went to grab her and there was a baby snake on her shoulder, which she brushed off rather quickly. That was the last time my granddaughter ran away from her - lol.

[Sammie]

For safety reasons I would suggest if you go for a late night swim or early morning and the pool has been empty for a while, check the pool before entering.

Some times the critters do show up when it gets quiet.