Does anyone know if these guys are dangerous to paddlers? This time of year the alligators don’t eat and stay in the freshwater areas of the Everglades. I will be kayak camping in the Florida Everglades (more marine environment) next week and learned that there are salt water crocs in the area. Steve
They are rare
– Last Updated: Feb-20-09 12:13 AM EST –
There's only around 1000 or so in Florida, which is nothing compared to the gators. And the North American Crocodile is MUCH less aggressive and generally much smaller than their Australian and Nile cousins. Attacks by them are almost (if not totally) unheard of.
if you are lucky enough to see one
just don’t try to pet it. Take a lot of pictures though, before it distances itself from you. They pose no threat unless you act like some sort of colossal idiot.
Thanks for the info.
I enjoy watching all wildlife from a distance, so as to not impact on them. Steve
only know of one
that lives by the ramp in Flamingo - but that don’t mean they ain’t around .
I always remember what WILD animal means . That is alot more useful than some knob tellin ya 10 feet distance , or some other book statistic.
M
have a good trip !
If you see one other than that
one that hangs out around Flamingo, consider yourself lucky they are very timid and will be long gone before you ever see one.
There is also one that hangs out at the end of South Sound at Pennekamp on Key Largo not too far from Gray Hawks, abode.
Several weeks ago we got permission to go into the Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refugee, and hunted for the entire day in the back water mangrove channels without seeing any.
Cheers,
JackL
for consideration…
http://www.ecofloridamag.com/askeditor_alligator_attacks2.htm
http://www.southeasternoutdoors.com/wildlife/reptiles/fatal-alligator-attacks.html
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/sfl-gator-database,0,902906.htmlpage
That’s all gator stuff
The OP is asking about crocs.
I am curious
what part of the Everglades you will be travelling in.
There is more than one at Flamingo as of two weeks ago.
Reported to be one near Rabbit Key but in several nights of camping there never found it or sign of it.
Saw tons of gators (more than I have ever seen before) around and in Gopher Creek (which is more toward freshwater), and Plate and Alligator Creeks which are brackish.
Yet not a one around Willy Willy. Go figure.
They may be getting territorial even if not feeding. I was the target of an apparant bluff charge on Gopher Creek.
It ran down the ten or so feet from its sunning place and swam (incredibly fast) toward the stern of my canoe staying on top of the water for twenty or so feet then went down about six feet from the boat.
The rangers I queried thought it may have mistaken my boat for a competing male.
reply…
since there are relatively very few genuine,real salt water crocs in florida, i didn’t find anything thru google about florida crocs… basic safety applies to both specises though …/
don’t piss them off ! don’t feed them !don’t wade/swim in a area that MAY contain either species. if one reads the posts , you can learn from others misfortune. since the OP was going to Fla soon, i don’t think he’ll have to contend with mating season, with could be a whole diff ballgame. Err on the side of caution. give them their space. personally , i don’t think he has anything to worry about…these florida crocs are not the infamous Nile or Aussie variety of saltwater crocs, which are much more agressive.
Yikes
I hope an 18 foot white Sundowner doesn’t resemble a gator in their eyes 
Were coming down in a week or so. I have paddled in the Fort Myers area several years with my Klepper folding kayak and while I have spotted many gators (and one croc) I have never had an issue with any of them even if I did freak a bunch of German tourists out by launching while one was visible in the water at Tarpon Bay (it was about 60 feet away but they were all freaking out).
neither have I !
That’s why I was so surprised. All of the rest just slid in the water.
Its not the first time I have tripped with gators so the stats are very good for your peace.
We know not to harass them but perhaps after having a chance to finally be in the sun after having to bury in the mud after a cold spell for days, it might have been testy too.
After all when it comes to breeding and territory other animals have less than friendly times of the month or year too. Moose lose all rationality, so why not gators?
Some places you just cant help being close to twisty banks.
Biggest danger…
Is not in the kayak, but when you camp, be cautious when approaching shoreline.
fair enough
You the bulk of your links were to lists of gator attacks, I took it as fear mongering of sorts. Naturally you give them their due respect. I mean you can walk into a pet store and buy a monitor that can take your finger off, so we can suppose that a reptile many many times the size should be given it’s due berth. But the reality is that the American Croc we get in the states in basically a scared cat that won’t do anyything unless cornered, and is much less likely to attack than a gator or even that pet store monitor (which are notoriously cranky).