Alligators and Snakes in Jax or St. Augustine (Jacksonville, University: house, university)

[kpasa]

HIF is too funny. I am new to Fla. 2 years now. And have not seen an alligator, yet. I don't think they exsist. I did have a harmless racer snake on my patio. Running is probably the best choice.

[joninclay]

The Mrs. took a shovel to a black racer in the yard yesterday. When she told me, I said "Black racers aren't poisonous, plus they keep pests away from the house. Why did you have to kill it?" She said (and I'm not kidding): "I didn't like the way it was looking at me!"

Note to self: don't give the Mrs. any bad looks!

[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by JagFan27

I heard this kid on the Today show this week. He is making a stand about the animal groups who are purchasing the tags (I think that's what he called them....the licenses to hunt and kill an alligator.) and then not using them. He claims that this practice is causing over-population of the
'gators, amd now the alligators are becoming much more aggresive because there is not enough food to go around.

Oops, this is not the same person. There was a young man who lost his left arm because he was swimming in a canal and was attacked by an alligator. Sorry for any confusion.

Yes but you're right, that kid with the arm WAS making the case against animal rights people blaming them for "overpopulation" and that alligators were becoming man eaters LOL.

But imo, since alligator people go around stealing/collecting alligator eggs every year this is a red herring to me anyway. From an 18 year old, trying to blame the alligator for his bad behavior.

Fish and Wildlife requires the permits to be handed back in with some kind of proof of a kill (?) and said 82% were.

The guy dove into the water at 2 in the morning duh, when they are most active.

Lake Okeechobee is experiencing record drought and large gators are concentrated in canals.

ksdk.com | St. Louis, MO | Gator Attack Victim Claims Animal Rights Activists Buy Up Hunting Permits

[runswithscissors]

Here's a link with alot of info. Regarding hot herps. The hognose is a shy innocent snake but can look like a rattlesnake to someone who thinks they have to kill every snake they see.

Snake Getters!

[HParr]

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

Here's a link with alot of info. Regarding hot herps. The hognose is a shy innocent snake but can look like a rattlesnake to someone who thinks they have to kill every snake they see.

Snake Getters!

Wow, runwithscissors, I just went to the link that you provided and I love it! It's a wealth of information on Alligators and Snakes, I've saved it in my favorites in case I need to refer to it in the future. Thanks!!!

[HParr]

Originally Posted by titaniummd

I live on the golf course and there is a retention pond there. A small 4 footer is there but he doesn't chase folks.

Frequently when I golf, I see 8 footers on the end of the water. I just don't come too close.

8 foot gators!!! Lord have mercy!!! And you remain calm cool and collected when you see these 8 foot gators? I can just see one of them coming out of the water and all of the golfers running down the golf course to get away from it. What a visual!

[Ghostgecko]

Wow, I am envisioning Lake Placid all over again!
A tourist with a kayak gets snapped in half, their margarita glass slowly drifting towards the bottom..."Wasted away again in margaritaville...sorry, couldn't resist!)

No, seriously, I am enjoying this post immensely! Coming down from Indiana, I saw a Blue Racer once, for those of you who have not watched Funny Farm, are harmless snakes. But they can scare you.

Down here, I remember when my friend and I first arrived in 05, we noticed a large concrete snake structure just inside of the FL border, it was immense ,with a concrete walk in the shape of a snake. It kinda freaked me out, to be honest with you.

But then, in Arizona they have signs too at the overlooks, about dangerous critters. So here's what I have seen. Don't really want to go near the everglades, but in the Keys, have seen about three of the Black ones, and they are alright, just scare you when they zip around suddenly...DON'T KILL THEM!

Second, we have some Gators! Oh yes, I am not talking about the drunken ones on Vacations, but in Big Pine Key there is a park up there, and my friends and I all were on a dock over the water, looking into a pond, and saw what looked to be about a 7 ft alligator. It was quite the sight for being 100 miles from the peninsula!

Not to mention, the funny thing was, it wasn't moving, so we thought it was dead, then I noticed right next to the gator in the water was a camera memory card. I dared my friend to get it, so we could see what was on it, but he was smarter than that...of course, I wouldn't have actually let him! But we were only about 3-4 feet away on a dock with a big rail, so I felt safe, and yet...I didn't!

The thing I have hated the most down here is actually the scorpions. These little buggers can grow up to 8" long, like the one I saw with babies when I opened up a door to the storage unit and saw it dangling on the door jam, stuck by it's tail. It freaked me out and I killed it by feeding it to the Roosters outside.

I have always hated those things, and well, I didn't feel comfortable knowing they usually live in pairs. Luckily, we found the other one a day later. If you can, scoop them outside, but watch out for the brighter and smaller ones, they are more poisonous younger.

FL, like anyplace, has it's dangers...In Cali, especially, it's the Black Widows...They just live out in your patio, in your garden hose holder or something. Brown Recluse, Banana...I know, stop crying, it doesn't make me happy either. But I didn't play with the Gator, I am careful when I reach into dark spaces, and I just stay away when a scorpion comes rushing out. Watch what you're doing, and well, I am echoing the other fine posters....so...

At least it's not like Hawaii, where they have centipedes like 1" thick and 12" long, highly poisonous and also aggressive!

[riveree]

Originally Posted by Ghostgecko

FL, like anyplace, has it's dangers...In Cali, especially, it's the Black Widows...They just live out in your patio, in your garden hose holder or something. Brown Recluse, Banana...I know, stop crying, it doesn't make me happy either. But I didn't play with the Gator, I am careful when I reach into dark spaces, and I just stay away when a scorpion comes rushing out. Watch what you're doing, and well, I am echoing the other fine posters....so...

I've seen a lot of Black Widow spiders here in Jax too. I can count on 2 hands the scorpions I've seen (both the little Hertz and the bigger Bark scorpion). I was worried about Brown Recluse, but found out we don't have them here...whew!

[BlueWillowPlate]

On Friday, out at a development called Oyster Bay (Yulee, north of Jax) a gator tried to take a dog. At Oyster Bay, there are several large creeks which feed into the Amelia River. There were actually two dogs swimming in the creek, a little black one and a huge cream-colored 9-month-old Lab, and I think the gator tried to get the Lab because he showed up better.
The gator picked the wrong dog.
Cody is 90 pounds, young and a strong swimmer, he struggled and the gator let him go.
Cody appeared to be okay, just a bitten foot, but then his eyes got glassy and he started to go downhill. The vet pumped him full of antibiotics and other fluids and now he is absolutely fine.
But they are going to have to keep him out of that creek.
I see black racers fairly frequently. I leave them alone and they certainly slither away from me as fast as they can.

[skytrekker]

I believe there are three snakes in Florida that are poisonous. The very large eastern diamond back rattler, the small but deadly coral snake, and the water moccasin.