sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

In a post last week I had some iPhone photos of six baby gators hanging out with mom. That was a day went I went walking at the wetlands for exercise and decided not to take my camera. That is always a bad choice, since that is invariably when I see neat things...

Well - the six baby gators are now four. Mom was basking in the sun about ten feet away - depending upon what you read mother alligators protect their babies for up to a year or they abandon them after they hatch. I wasn't going to get too close to the babies to test which theory is correct! I was almost surprised to see four left - the list of animals in the wetlands that do NOT eat baby gators is much shorter than the list of things that do eat them!

I also found a baby alligator crossing the road on the other side of this pond - maybe it is from the same batch... even though it is early, there are a lot of alligators here!

(Download)


(Download)

Mother sunning herself near her babies.

(Download)

Baby gator crossing the road on opposite side of pond.

(Download)


(Download)

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Good set, Steve! Hopefully you can keep track of them as they mature.

anotherview Loc: California

I've read that alligators can run pretty fast for a short distance. Did your excursion allow for this possible reaction to your nearness?

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

It is very rare for an alligator to attack someone who is more than a foot or two from the water. They certainly can - and will - attack someone right at the water's edge or who is in the water. I had to remind a visitor yesterday to not let their dog play in the water - "it's hard to stop him - he likes the water" - was their response. I could only advise that it is required for dogs to be on a leash and that alligators consider dogs to be a tasty treat.

The history of fatal alligator attacks in Florida is populated by foolish (and often inebriated) young men who dare to swim across the pond or river at night, a drunk man who fell out of his canoe while night fishing - and while standing up to pee in the river, and a young child sitting in 3-inch deep water with parents nearby at a Disney Resort - which had brought in sand and called the area a "beach". A burglar in a community 15 miles south of here ran down into the cattails of a nearby pond to hide from the police who were called. His body was found four days later.... EVERY body of fresh water in Florida needs to be considered as having alligators. Hungry large alligators. They move around a lot, especially this time of year, and can climb fences. There was a snorkeler killed by a gator at Blue Springs State Park a few years ago. Several folks walking by water traps on golf courses have been attacked by gators who lunged at them. One young man famously poked a big gator in the eyeball with his putter, which made the gator let go. Another ten-year old girl had the presence of mind to recall what she had learned at the show at Gatorland - she shoved her fingers into the nostrils of the gator that had hold of her leg - and it immediately let go!

No one has ever been attacked at the wetlands here - but that doesn't mean there is no threat. That is why they make telephoto lenses!

angler Loc: StHelens England

Good set.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Job well done! They are the dinosaurs among us.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Thanks for sharing .......So, I guess Viera is closed to car traffic - forever ??

kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

Nice set.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Whatta cutie, shot well ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

merrytexan Loc: georgia

i enjoyed your gator shots, and appreciate the narrative with the info!

anotherview Loc: California

Thanks for info.

J-SPEIGHT Loc: Akron, Ohio

Nice set Steve

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

For years the Wastewater Treatment bureaucracy cooperated with the Brevard County Environmentally Sensitive Lands program to manage the Viera Wetlands as a place for visitors to see wildlife. The Wetlands were created to maximize the benefits for wildlife - each shallow pond has a central island with different types of native trees and shrubbery planted, for example. The ESL program had a cadre of volunteers, of which I was one. We helped maintain the roads, made sure that everyone was out by closing in the evening and locked the gate, had several educational programs during the year, and often just were a presence for visitors with questions.

We had all hoped that the Wetlands could become more useful for visitors - better parking, an education center, restrooms, etc. Ideally it would have some boardwalks. Great examples are the Wakodahatchee Wetlands and Green Cay Wetlands two hours south. The Orlando Wetlands works with cooperation between their parks department and their wastewater treatment folks.

The Viera Wetlands is a gem in our county - people come from all over the country and from foreign nations. Many days see thousands of visitors. But for some reason the wastewater treatment people stopped cooperation with the ESL program, which meant the volunteer program was cancelled. They stopped allowing vehicles on the roads (these gravel roads do not hold up when wet and huge potholes develop), so this reduces road maintenance, but makes it hard for folks who cannot walk to enjoy the wetlands.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Yes, Viera has always been a very good model for human-wildlife interaction - which is mostly a good thing, especially for photographers. Sad that it has deteriorated ....
.