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Post by Sir John on Dec 3, 2021 12:35:22 GMT -5
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MelaleucaSomebody thought these would soak up all the water in the Everglades. Probably a worse problem than the snakes. Been to Everglades City. SJ
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Post by Swampy on Dec 3, 2021 13:36:17 GMT -5
I'd rather deal with invasive plants than invasive snakes.
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Post by dontom on Dec 4, 2021 0:50:22 GMT -5
I'd rather deal with invasive plants than invasive snakes. Invasive plants can do a lot of damage to wildlife. The CA legless Lizard is almost wiped out on the beeches because of Iceplant. They used to be common on San Francisco beaches. Now it's been around 100 years since one has been found in SF. But you can find plenty of Iceplant. -Don- Everglades Nat'l Park, FL |
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Post by dontom on Dec 8, 2021 20:03:19 GMT -5
OK, here is some info on the snakes. Even inside this RV park, I see gators every day. I saw two swimming in the lake right in this RV park today. A couple of days ago, there was a large gator walking around inside this RV park. I didn't see it, as I was out but many here were talking about the gator walking around. It is not an uncommon sight to the people that work here, but it is somewhat uncommon to the visitor that are not here every day. I met a guy here from this RV Park, Steve, who was tent camping here. He is from Miami, and also has an interest in herpetology. So I was able to ask him many of my questions. I met him during a hike. One of my questions was why the Burmese Pythons are more common here than the other large nonnative snakes that were even more common as pets in previous years. Such as Boa Constrictors. other boas and other types of pythons. It all started from a professional who was importing Burmese Pythons from Burma. He was located right next to the Everglades. He had 1,600 baby Burmese Pythons. His building got destroyed (I forgot how, perhaps a hurricane?) many years ago and all 1600 baby Burmese pythons escaped. Well, years later, many people were seeing the very large ones here in the Everglades. More than enough for many of them to be reproducing. Other large non-native snakes are also seen here. But there is no reason to believe they are reproducing or causing much of a problem, as there are so few of them. The numbers are only large, or expected to be large on the Burmese Pythons. But even Steve believe the problem is exaggerated. He has seen MANY snakes in the Everglades, and has yet to come across a Burmese Python. But he does know people who have ran into them. I have not seen any here at all, and I doubt I will. But I do expect to see more snakes. It is a lot warmer here than I expected it would be in December. I saw a FL Green Water Snake last night, right inside this RV Park. -Don- Everglades, FL  Attachments:
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Post by dontom on Dec 8, 2021 20:13:09 GMT -5
That's nice, but I understand the gators have been mostly eaten by the snakes, namely, the Burmese pythons. I can now safely say that is VERY false. Large Gators are an every day sight here, no matter where I go. If there is water nearby, there are gators in or near it. Most likely both. The restaurants near here serve gator meat. It's quite good, I had a gator sandwich for lunch yesterday. But they are raised for that purpose.  -Don- Everglades, FL |
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Post by Swampy on Dec 9, 2021 0:38:42 GMT -5
Don,
I'm very happy to hear that. Are there other wildlife too, as in deer, raccoons, and so on? The story is that the Burmese pythons have eaten 99% of those as well, and I also hope that is false.
What does gator taste like? Fish? Chicken?
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Post by dontom on Dec 9, 2021 9:19:51 GMT -5
Don, I'm very happy to hear that. Are there other wildlife too, as in deer, raccoons, and so on? The story is that the Burmese pythons have eaten 99% of those as well, and I also hope that is false. What does gator taste like? Fish? Chicken? I have not seen any wild mammals here, but I doubt if it has anything to do with the snakes. I assume the countless large gators eat up a lot of the small mammals whenever they get the opportunity. IMO, there is little doubt the gators are a much bigger threat to the mammals than the pythons. Gator meat has a little more flavor than chicken, but it is not a strong taste. I cannot think of anything it compares well too, but perhaps a bit more like pork than chicken. I like the gator meat, I will certainly have another before I leave here next week. It is a bit pricy, about $15.00 for a gator sandwich. It is served with French fries. This morning, there was a Southern Leopard Frog hopping around inside my motorhome. I have no idea how it got in here, but I was able to catch it and let it outside. It gets hot in here in the afternoon, and wouldn't survive a full day in here. -Don- Everglades, FL |
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Post by dontom on Dec 12, 2021 22:01:34 GMT -5
That's nice, but I understand the gators have been mostly eaten by the snakes, namely, the Burmese pythons. Does this look like there is a shortage of gators here in the Everglades?  |
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Post by Swampy on Dec 12, 2021 22:59:00 GMT -5
Nice to see that. But what about the other animals?
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Post by dontom on Dec 13, 2021 5:46:58 GMT -5
Nice to see that. But what about the other animals? I think the gators ate up everything! I see a lot of birds, fish, many lizards, a few turtles but that is about all. But I think the other stuff is here too,, just don't show themselves often. It sure is warm here in December. Around 85F/30C every day. So far, the only snake I have seen here is a Green Water Snake right here in this RV Park. -Don- Everglades, FL |
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Post by dontom on Dec 21, 2021 22:03:14 GMT -5
I am now near the north part of Lake Okeechobee in Florida. This is the largest lake in Florida and the one that feeds the Everglades. The other day, I hiked a little more north. I saw many dead turtles. I took a hike south the day after, about the same distance. I saw many more dead turtles. None that were alive n either day. Perhaps this is the issue: " The mud contained elevated levels of arsenic and other pesticides. According to tests from the South Florida Water Management District, arsenic levels on the northern part of the lakebed were as much as four times the limit for residential land. Independent tests found the mud too polluted for use on agricultural or commercial lands, and therefore difficult to dispose of on land."
I think this is a more serious issue than the big snakes in the Everglades. -Don- Okeechobee, FL |
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Post by Sir John on Jan 6, 2022 18:42:14 GMT -5
myrigadventures.com/krys-the-savannah-king-normanton-qld/Shot by a woman with a .303 Lee Enfield rifle in the 1940s I think. Salt water crocs are now a protected species and the Top End is crawling with them. NOBODY sane swims in ANY creek, river, or estuary north of the Tropic of Capricorn. SJ
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Post by Sir John on Jan 7, 2022 13:31:06 GMT -5
"What does gator taste like? Fish? Chicken? "
Had a meal of "Croc 'n chips" in Darwin a few years ago. EXPENSIVE, rubbery, and low in any flavour.
And on the Gold Coast saw a small 2 metre croc on display with a horrible price tag per Kg. Kept an eye on it, and about 4 days later only about 10% had been sold and the carcass had been dispossed of.
SJ
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Post by Swampy on Jan 7, 2022 16:00:43 GMT -5
Don,
You said there're lots of gators, but what about the other wildlife? The media said 90% of the wildlife had been eaten by Burmese pythons, so have you see deer, raccoons, and the like?
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Post by Sir John on Jan 8, 2022 13:45:48 GMT -5
...and the SnowBirds, don't forget the snowbirds!
SJ
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