[Lisa Allen]

Is there a way to tell when looking at real estate listings if a home is "waterfront" if it is fresh water or salt?
For example, I see many houses that are on a canal... It would be nice to launch your boat from your own back yard BUT wouldnt be nice for a gator to hang out in my back yard.
I am assuming if your house is on a salt water canal, no gators. But if you are on a fresh water canal, gators. Is it this simple?
I dont see on any listings any specification of fresh or salt water. Which you'd think is pretty important so I wonder why it isnt specified? Usually in the description you'll see canal or lagoon or lake front. (If lagoon is listed by definition it is salt water... am I correct?)
Also why would having a house on a lake be appealing if they are indeed full of gators? You cant swim in it and you have to worry about gators.
I guess I dont get that

[Joe P]

Crocs? You're kidding....right?

Joe

[Lisa Allen]

Joe...
Duh... gators. I meant gators... crocs / gators... they're all the same to me. We dont see them here in the northeast :>)
I will change that in my post though :>)

[Lisa Allen]

PS... Joe... I've done some homework :>)

from Gatorland.com:
Alligators and Crocodiles: What's the Difference?
Many people want to know what the difference is between alligators and crocodiles. There are many differences, most of which are not easy to see. One of the differences that you can see is the shape of the head. Alligators have a broader, more rounded snout while crocodiles have a narrower, more pointed snout. If you look at the side of a crocodile's mouth, you'll notice the fourth tooth on the bottom jaw sticks outside of the top jaw and into a groove. The upper and lower teeth of a crocodile stick outside the jaws while the bottom teeth of the alligator fit into sockets in the upper jaw.

Alligators outnumber crocodiles 1,000 to 1 in the wild in North America. The American crocodile is considered endangered, with a wild population of less than 500. The American alligator population is estimated at about 1.5 million.

[mich2fla]

I've seen alligators in canals and on the roads before.

Just like seeing deers up in Michigan. There was a black bear sighting north of Grand Rapids earlier this week!

I ran into this website when helping my daughter do her project for school. There's both alligators and crocs in Florida.

www.southalley.com/croco.html

[pslOldTimer]

Originally Posted by Lisa Allen

Is there a way to tell when looking at real estate listings if a home is "waterfront" if it is fresh water or salt?

From a web site about gators: "Alligators inhabit primarily fresh water to brackish water areas, although they can occasionally be found in salt water. However, alligators lack the salt-extracting glands of crocodiles and are unable to survive in salt water for extended periods of time."

So, the first answer is that it doesn't matter whether the canal is salt or fresh (or brackish), you can find a gator anywhere. The second answer is that you can tell whether a canal is salt or fresh (or brackish) by it's location. If it's tidal, it's probaby salt. If it's flowing into tidal waters, it's probably not as salty. If it's somewhere in between, its brackish (salty fresh water or fresh salty water).

Port St. Lucie is on the North Fork of the St. Lucie River between 20 and 30 miles from the ocean and while the water is mostly fresh, it's considered brackish. We see salt water fish often. On the other hand, the Indian River Lagoon is salt water, and gators are seen occasionally.

All of this is interesting discussion, but really beyond the point. Sure, there are gators in Florida. There are bears in the woods. There are wolves in the high plains. There are poisonous snakes almost everywhere.

As I mentioned in another thread, you are in much more danger from the dihydrogen monoxide in the canal that you are from a gator. Dihydrogen monoxide is another way to say H2O, or water, and the greatest danger is from drowning, not gators.

By the way, there are occasionally gators on the roads. There are also cars on the roads. 50,000 people died from car accidents. If I'm willing to ride in a car, I don't think I'd worry much about the gators...

[lulu]

In my younger years, though there used to be more hunting seasons down here...I always swam in Lakes but in those days crocodiles & alligators were brutally killed for no reason, one didn't need permits & stuff - no laws protecting them, so one felt sort of safer. But with the passage of time laws starting protecting them so they wouldn't become extinct & then they starting showing up all over the place. I personally, nowadays would not. On a boat yes, if I keep my distance , I respect them & they respect me...but I would not go swimming in a lake at all. As for the salt water, there is always the possibility of a shark swimming by - especially if your home faces a steeper area where one can dock a boat.
There's also rare incidents about crocs & the ocean that I'm not getting into cause it will scare people & it's very, very rare.
But seriously, buy the home your heart desires, & learn to live with your surrounding habitat & you'll be just fine...I'm still here, and I've done just about everything here. Don't worry too- too much, just enjoy.