Herb Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 My gator advice: as long as you wrap a friend in raw meat you'll be fine... And you can swim faster than they can, "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cris Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Whatever you do, don't hunt here at night!! No, that's not a zoo..it's in the wild. I actually did hunt the little creek that runs into this hole right after the photo was taken and found a couple shark teeth (ankle deep water). There were a bunch to the right and left of where this photo was taken...we could only get a photo of some of them. And as far as how big alligators really get around here....Seems like 10-12 feet is a normal max size alligator...Larger ones are out there, but I've never seen them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 For those of you who are interested in Alligators in the Peace River, there are 2 articles in the November Newsletter for the Fossil Club of Lee County. at this link http://www.fcolc.com/newsletters/news1112.pdf The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwhitty2012 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 (edited) Yikes! What time of year was that? They look on the smaller side, but still not a place to hang out in case they get curious. That newsletter has some good info, especially for those not familiar with how to understand gator behavior. Thanks for sharing! I think that many people in their ignorance feed wild animals because they are amazed at how close an animal will get or to get one to react. But feeding alligators or other wildlife can be fatal to an animal, because it will lose its fear of people and will look to them as a food source. Nuisance animals often have to be relocated or put down because they will approach people. If you leave the gators alone, in most cases they will leave you alone in a canoe or kayak. Edited December 22, 2012 by rwhitty2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted December 22, 2012 Author Share Posted December 22, 2012 WOW! "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cris Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Yikes! What time of year was that? They look on the smaller side, but still not a place to hang out in case they get curious. Middle of summer...They were all on the smaller side....There was a "big boy" hanging out that we saw there. It was around 6 feet...all the other ones probably 5 feet and less. I really have no idea what they could possibly be eating out of their to sustain that many of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paleoworld-101 Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Interesting read, be thankful they aren't Saltwater Crocodiles though lol! Oh the dangers we risk for fossils, i have nearly been washed out to sea whilst fossil hunting before- and the worst part was that i came home empty handed "In Africa, one can't help becoming caught up in the spine-chilling excitement of the hunt. Perhaps, it has something to do with a memory of a time gone by, when we were the prey, and our nights were filled with darkness..." -Eternal Enemies: Lions And Hyenas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted December 23, 2012 Author Share Posted December 23, 2012 Lots of fish and slow swimming fossil hunters. "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellseeker Posted December 23, 2012 Share Posted December 23, 2012 Lots of fish and slow swimming fossil hunters. I have seen gators in the Peace River with large turtles and water birds like Ibis in their mouths. Basically anything that wanders into their path that is slightly smaller than the gator... and I am not even positive on that "slightly smaller" statement. The White Queen ".... in her youth she could believe "six impossible things before breakfast" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Posted December 23, 2012 Author Share Posted December 23, 2012 "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence"_ Carl Sagen No trees were killed in this posting......however, many innocent electrons were diverted from where they originally intended to go. " I think, therefore I collect fossils." _ Me "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."__S. Holmes "can't we all just get along?" Jack Nicholson from Mars Attacks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bear-dog Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Hey at least the gators in the Peace are on the small side.On Withaloochee River you dont get a bunch of gators, there size matters.I dive where the tv show has the group diving for lumber.If you notice the camera guys are in the middle of the boat. Bear-dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeloiVarden Posted December 24, 2012 Share Posted December 24, 2012 Well, you can tell from the number of replies gator meetings are not rare at all in the southeast. As a scuba diver, I have encountered gators on shore, at the surface, and on the bottom of the river. I even ran into one on the bottom of the river once (he went the other direction as quick as I did) and touched the tail of another one in front of me on the bottom of the river (wanted to make sure he stayed in front of me). In all of these cases, I at most got growled and hissed at. All of the attacks I have heard of involve folks swimming on the surface and usually just entailed loosing a limb. Yeah, I know, that is still serious and potentially life threatening. My point is that, like in the case of sharks, gators rarely engaged humans and even when they do, are usually just being opportunistic. So, be aware and play it safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sixgill pete Posted December 25, 2012 Share Posted December 25, 2012 The ones you can see are not the ones you need to be concerned about. It's like being in the water at night, you can hear all the big splashes............................... Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt behind the trailer, my desert Them red clay piles are heaven on earth I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers May 2016 May 2012 Aug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 Oct 2022 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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