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[robby]

The Everglades is a 50 mile wide, slow moving river and the brown water is teaming with life. I stopped impulsively for an airboat tour, and the front porch of the little tour shop welcomed us with a line of stuffed human dummies, sitting in rocking chairs, but all with real alligator heads. It was surreal, and I wish I had pictures to post. The boats are flat bottomed, with a huge air fan in the rear, so they can skitter across the mud and shallow water. This tour company was the real deal, and our guide took us right into gator country. A huge 12 foot male held about a square mile of territory, and subdivided his kingdom to about a dozen 6 to 8 foot females. The alligators were coming right to the boat, so we had to keep out hands inside.

Comments

[robby.livejournal.com]

It was exciting to have big, wild alligators swimming so close by. To be honest, I guess alligators are not all that dangerous to people. Their safety zone is the water, and while they have been known to bite humans, they will spit them out. The guide said it's dangerous to get between an alligator on land and the water, and they have a snapping reflex, and would grab a hand dangling in the water. Crocodiles are another story, however, and will hunt, kill and eat people, and are greatly feared around the world.