Alligators????

[harleyquinn]

You guys are sooo lucky!

On my trip in August I looked EVERYWHERE for a gator, but I couldn't find one. I asked a bunch on CMs, but no one had seen any.

Oh well maybe next time

 

[dreamflight99]

k&a&c'smom ~I'm glad you enjoyed reading my little post! You are absolutely...100% correct regarding the DANGER in that little swampy, canal-infested area off the beaten path. It makes me "shudder" to think we made it out of there safely (surrounded by Gators...and GATOR-LIKE people...LOL). Thank goodness, we did.

I still get that "feeling" of being surrounded once in a while. Such as I posted while photographing the Gators on the earlier pages of this thread. To capture the first one, I was nearly IN the water to take the Pic. (in the excitement to snap the pic...I sometimes forget where I AM), when DH came up from behind and uttered, "Careful hon, the mom is always nearby...watching." Instantaneously, I got that FEELING, and a CHILL ran down my spine. Whoooo. It's the kind of safety mechanism inherent in us "PREY" species! The "10,000 years of evolution thing", which causes the hair to stand ERECT on the nape of our necks when ever our existence is threatened (and/or a PREDATOR is near).

I definitely got it THAT time, in the canals. I also got it another time I recall with vivid detail (as I wrote before...there are numerous occasions). My friends and I got the BRIGHT IDEA to go out into the swamps in some canoes for a "sunset" cruise together while visiting Florida. We were near a campground in Ormond Beach again, one notorious for CROCS & GATORS (we were not aware of this reputation until it was too late). We even spoke with a FISH & GAME specialist in the area prior to embarking on our venture. He warned us (not unlike the two from Deliverance---but he was in uniform and very courteous) to take great precautions and be ever so watchful around the canoe. CROCS are extremely "territorial" and may be prone to attack the craft if they feel at all threatened. We mimicked him (as teens will do on occasion), and scoffed at his "scare-tactics!" Hindsight IS 20/20.

After only a few moments into the swamp...we spot a large CROC or GATOR (we were all unsure...and decided we needed to get closer to inspect and assess the critter. After all, this is what you do when you are with a group of friends at the age of 19~~LOL) floating in the water. Upon closer inspection, it appears he is not floating, but possibly lying atop something else...perhaps a female...whom is just under the surface on some tall grass. As we approach even closer, they both submerge into the marsh. Then, I see something dart (and I mean DART) under the canoe. I freaked outloud, and expressed a STRONG desire to leave the water. Suddenly, the Thing (Croc/Gator...etc) reappears on the other side, and glares at us...floating. I can see it's toes splayed out under the water. It is a VERY LARGE reptile, and not too pleased by our presence. I quickly notice three more of these creatures coming IN our direction from the edge of the wet grasses which were in the middle of this waterway. It's impossible to gauge the SIZE of them when they are submerged with only the eyes/nose showing.

Suddenly, that FEELING overwhelms me. The one where I feel small and helpless...in the midst of something very unpredictable and unappealing. I feel a "bump" on the bottom of the rickety canoe, and tell my girlfriend to begin paddling quickly for the shore. Our other friends begin to follow...along with a "swarm" of unwanted guests now extremely interested in our movements and motives.
The F & G expert had informed us it was near "breeding" season, and the BULLS (as he called them) become very agitated and overly-aggressive during this time. Many attacks on humans occur during this season. Argh...I want to click my heels three times and be HOME...PRONTO!

But, we are paddling, nonetheless. My paddle "hits" something under the side and I hear this strange "rumble" or vibrating sound. Like a roar under the water. Not good. The water is dark, brackishly amber/iced tea in color, filled with swamp stuff (And the other things nightmares are filled with)! Our friends trailing behind attempt to toss a can of soda at one large gator bothering them, in a futile attempt to scare him away. He LUNGES at the can and disappears beneath the surface with his daily intake of aluminum. Now...he only needs some mammals and he can look for dessert! Another lesson learned. It's nearly impossible to intimidate a large predator...unless you are a LARGER predator!

As we approach the shore, it's clear we are being harrassed all the way to the edge. I dare not stand in the canoe for fear of falling and being taken by what awaits on the other side. I also can not get close enough to the edge without having to jump in water up to my knees to get to safety. The fear of what "could" happen has me by the throat. At this moment, it was "fight or flight"...and instinct kicked in. I turned and "whacked" the surface of the water as hard as I could with my paddle, as my GF jumped into the water and to the marshy grass--then safety. She was petrified...or she would have stayed around to help me (possibly pull the canoe in closer, etc.). So...I was all alone, and drifting oddly sideways to the shore. I was kneeling, and holding one paddle in the water. My GF was screeching something inaudible, as our other friends were maneuvering their canoe farther up-swamp. Everything was happening so quickly...but truly seemed to be "frame by frame."

I turned to see the eyes and nose of a large predator, just behind my canoe. I froze in terror, and felt naked/vulnerable/lost and "a gonner" simultaneously! Days passed in seconds, and I hunched my body over in the canoe to escape his view(instinct took over...I must HIDE, I thought). I felt a bump, and then another (possibly him/them passing underneath). My GF continued her frenzied scene from the shore, as this fella moved in to check the view from another angle. They are NOT as shy and ignorant as some claim. They are intelligent and adept at what they do best...HUNT. And I, for the moment...was the HUNTED.

Somehow...my other friends had landed safely upshore, and were "running" to HELP me! (Thank Goodness someone was taking some action other than just verbal hysteria/jumping up & down from the sidelines). The young man accompanying my friend in the other canoe instructed me to stay "low" in the boat, and to grip the insides of the seats...bracing myself in case it is topsized. NOW...the FEAR began to truly overwhelm me. What could they see...which I could not? He told me as soon as he tossed the rope in the canoe, for me to take hold. I did...with a veritable "death-grip" (LOL). HE slowly (too slow for my comfort) pulled me into the marshy shallow grass...and kept talking in a hushed, slow manner the entire time. When he prompted me...not a minute before or after, I was to "Spring from the canoe and leap to the shore."

My breathing had already ceased long before this moment, and my chest hurt with fire-like feelings from the lack of oxygen. Fear constricted every muscle, and I asked him to wait a moment for me to get my faculties (and for the Glutamine Propionate Amino acids to enter the tissue). He said there was not a moment for this...and on the count of 3....to MOVE. Each number was called out agonizingly & slowly. Then finally...as THREE was uttered--I JUMPED. From the peripheral of my right side, I immediately saw them. Two or three very BIG reptiles...close to the canoe and shore...more than half of their bodies out of the water! My heart made the leap into my throat, and as I landed...I nearly choked on it trying to swallow.

As I rocketed and RAN up onto the grass, these beasts did the same! So, instinctively...we RAN (Fast and FAR) without looking back. We contacted the Ranger (F&G), whom arrived to report the incident and help us recover our canoes. He decided he would need back-up, and it was a good thing he did. When we walked back to the scene, still leary and afraid (of my near-miss adventure), these aggressors were still cruising the area. He launched his boat, with the assistance of two other officers. They reported at least "7" very large, very agitated bulls (male Crocs or Gators...I presume) in the area. The area we happened upon was a so-called preserve, or sort of unconventional GATOR-HAVEN. We had no idea we would ever be anything short of SAFE...as we were in CANOES. (LOL). So much for that theory.

NOw...don't EVEN get me started on SHARKS!!

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

I was wondering when someone was going to say the S word.

 

[k&a&c'smom]

WOW!!!

I agree, we all do some silly things when we're young, but MAN!!
Near-death experience!!

Since you guys brought up the S-word: I mentioned on another thread that we used to take a day or two side-trip to Cocoa Beach, and always wondered why there were so few people on this nice stretch of beach. About 3 years ago, we found out! We had spent the night at a new Hampton Inn near the beach, with it's own boardwalk down to the shore. Parking was right next to this boardwalk, outside the pool area. During check-out, I sent my kids and a GF who had made the trip with us to the car, while I completed the paperwork and turned in the key. While waiting my turn, I looked out the other doorway to the porte cochere in the front of the Inn and saw an ambulance!

When I got to the counter, I casually asked the clerk what the ambulance was for, and she looked around before whispering "shark" and continuing to check us out! She noticed my expression, and went on to say, "We have a lot of sharks here, that's why I never swim in the ocean!" (Good to know after our swim!)

As I got in the car, head swimming with bloody images, I informed my kid and GF about the "shark attack." About that time, we saw a couple of men carrying a boy of about 11 or 12 up the boardwalk, and into the lobby. He was sitting up, the men had crossed their arms to make a chair, and his leg was wrapped in lots of towels. Hopefully, it was just a small nip from a curious baby shark!

As we sped toward WDW, I tried not to think about my own children playing in the ocean just the day before! We still go to the beach, but we are a lot more careful now!!

 

[dreamflight99]

Ohh....I HAVE LOTS of experience with "S's"...both on the WEST and EAST coast! ~DD absolutely refuses to swim in the Ocean @ Vero, due to the numerous sharks we have seen from the air (flying over), and the endless stories from a lifeguard at the nearby beach. ^_^ But, most convincing...is my brother (her uncle) whom resides in Melbourne beach. He does NOT swim in the ocean, and has passed along his close encounters, stories and tales (or SHARK TAILS) to her!

DH & I not only SWIM in Vero, we snorkel, scuba and surf/BB! We have also rented the wave-runners, and played out near the underwater reefs (beautiful), where most of the larger sharks hang. Yet, most of the sharks inherent to those waters are Bull/Tiger sharks. There are a few Mako sharks around too. The Bulls are seemingly more aggressive than the Tigers, but most which venture close to the shore are smaller juveniles. A F&G associate (Lori Veber...she gives Turtle-walks @ Vero in the summer), reported seeing 10-footers (Bulls) swimming up the sebastian inlet to breed in the roots of the sycamores, etc. They acclimate easily to the mix of fresh/salt water, and are pretty nomadic. I've actually been "bumped" and knocked to my knees in the water (waist deep) off Vero, but know to LEAVE the area calmly and promptly when something like this occurs. I received an "abrasion" from this encounter...and nothing more. Probably a young, inexperienced Tiger, checking to see if I was "viable" prey.

In Cali, I've seen whites while diving off the Islands, and white-tips while "shooting the piers" (surfing) off Santa Barbara. The sharks we have in our waters, are much larger, and more lethal (when they attack). In Florida, there are more bites, by smaller sharks...rendering non-lethal encounters. I NEVER enter the water in Cali if there are ANY seals/sea lions nearby, just as I stay out of Florida's ocean when I see baitfish or an abundance of birds feeding overhead. I do, however, swim alone, in both oceans...which is not recommended. I just personally prefer the solitude of the cool dark water, and the calm theraputic feel of playing in an endless...lone, surf. I'm fully aware they are around me, and try to follow all the other rules for keeping safe (no blood, no jewelry, no splashing, no baitfish around, no dawn/dusk swimming, no dogs, etc.), Even so, I am always aware...every time I step a toe into the great watery expanse which covers most of our planet.

I've had encounters with large trolling Sharks in Daytona too. Some pretty harrowing, involving sandbars and sirens, which when recounted, just tends to scare folks even more (than most already are!). Of course, I've swam with the infant leopard sharks in Typhoon Lagoon too!! (LOL).

The Bull sharks love to swim up the Fresh brackish & murky water causeways near Florida's coast, and breed in the warm summer months. The bull shark prefers to live in "shallow" coastal waters less than 100 feet deep (30 m), but ranges from 3-450 feet deep (1-150 m). It commonly enters estuaries, bays, harbors, lagoons, and river mouths. It is the only shark species that readily occurs in freshwater, and apparently can spend long periods of time in such environs. It is not likely that the bull shark's entire life cycle occurs within a freshwater system, however. There is evidence that they breed in shallow freshwater, but not as regularly as they do in estuarine and marine habitats. Juvenile bull sharks enter low salinity estuaries and lagoons as readily as adults do, and use these shallow areas as nursery grounds. They can also tolerate hypersaline water as high as 53 parts per thousand. Notice how shallow most of the water is in these photos!

The tiger shark is found throughout the world's temperate and tropical waters, with the exception of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a wide-ranging species that is at home both in the open ocean as well as shallow coastal waters. Reports of individuals from as far north as Iceland and the United Kingdom have been confirmed but are probably a result of roaming sharks following the warmer Gulf Stream north across the Atlantic.This shark has a notable tolerance for many different kinds of marine habitat but generally prefers murky waters in coastal areas. It is commonly found in river estuaries, harbors, and other inlets where runoff from the land may attract a high number of prey items. Shallow areas around large island chains and oceanic islands including lagoons, are also part of the tiger shark's natural environment. It is often seen at the surface and has been reported to depths of 350 m (1085 ft). (The large Tiger on the beach was caught off the coast of Jacksonville, Fla.

*At the end of the day, if we refuse to enter water where sharks may be found, or attempt to exterminate their presence there first - then we are probably on the same level of sanity as a person who refuses to drive on the road out of fear that an aircaft may land on his or her car. ^_^

Thank Goodness...there are no Alligators/Sharks in the canals/moats on WDW property, (or are there?!?).

 

[k&a&c'smom]

DF99 -

You are my hero!! I would love to have the guts to attempt even one of the many experiences you have described! As a landlubber, I have not grown up around the ocean, and I have a fear of the water - even pool water, which I think is connected to my fear of heights!!

We are fascinated with sharks - whenever "Shark Week" is on the Discovery Channel, we park ourselves in front of the TV! I don't believe we should be attempting to eradicate anything on this earth that frightens us. We simply realize that we are too inexperienced w/sharks and 'gators to get very close to them, so we have a healthy respect for those areas that may harbor these critters!!

As far as 'gators at WDW is concerned, I think WDW staff are pretty strict about patrolling and removing. They do not like bad PR!!

I seem to be monopolising this thread, but I have really enjoyed your posts!!

 

[BambiTamby]

Thumbs up to Dreamflight99!!!

You've really made this alligator thread a great one!

 

[arielfan]

We've never seen any there I hope we don't meet any up close and personal...

 

[dreamflight99]

To k&a&c'smom & BambiTamby~for the very kind compliments! I'm glad you enjoy the details of my posts, and find them informative and pleasurable.

I know lots of folks like to read about the large predators with which we share our world. I've been fortunate to be close to several over the years, including Black & Griz. bears. It's amazing how docile they truly appear in the wild. Just as the little gator I was photographing appeared. I even caught myself talking in that sweet baby-ish "animal" talk I use for my own pets! LOL!! All the while, he was looking at me...wondering if I was "worth the expenditure of energy & effort!"

I'm also fascinated with these creatures, and attempt to educate myself on their habits and lifestyle. When I was younger, I accompanied a herpetologist on a rattlesnake hunt. We were not killing them, but snaring and capturing them alive for studies. It was in the hills of upstate NY, and Western Penn. The Eastern Diamondback was our quarry, and they were incredible to behold!

Now, I attempt to gain knowledge through television shows, internet sites and experts. I even prepare myself mentally in case of an emergency. Such as, knowing if you are attacked by a Gator, they will attempt to take you into deeper water, and drown you. If you are able to relax (resist panic) and hold your breath, you may be able to FREE yourself once the creature stops rolling, etc. Many persons have actually survived by doing this very thing. Preparation is extremely important.

When surfing, or near the ocean, I always carry a tourniquet (small, thin rubber one). This may seem morose, but it's a great safety measure/precaution. Also, large predators are especially leary of injuring their eyesight (intrinsic behavior) while attacking prey. Most prey never fights back, and when they do...they never go for the eyes. Just remember these things. Sharks even have special protective membranes which roll over the eyes when they are in the midst of an attack, protecting their precious sight from any injury. The nose, is also hyper-sensitive, with numerous nerve endings.

Of course, in the end...the best weapon we have is our mind. Relax, focus and harness the fear to use to your advantage. If you keep your mind clear, you have a better chance...in any situation.

BTW....Last summer the transportation associate (Frank) manning the friendship boat from MGM to Epcot (and the resorts), informed us of a very large (7-8 feet) GATOR in the lake area closest to MGM. He and several of his associates had seen it over the preceeding weeks, and informed the safety dept. Of Disney. This Gator presumably just "walked" into this area. Disney personnel were attempting to capture this elusive fellow for transport...but he proved to be too intelligent to fall for the usual "chicken" baited traps. He told us they were at their "wits end" about him, and were even trying to snare him with loops in the middle of the morning hours (3-4 am), to no avail. (LOL) I have no idea if he is still there, or was finally captured and removed. At least they do not kill these creatures for trespassing.

I've enjoyed this thread...and the posts of everyone! WDW has a LOT more to offer than merely the theme parks and attractions! Just another part of the MAGIC we insiders here on the DIS are "Privy-to."

TTFN...DF99