Crystal River: Home of the Manatee

Crystal River is a town on Florida’s Gulf coast and self-titled manatee capital of the world. I visited this past weekend, in the middle of winter, as this is the best time to see the manatees for which the town is famous. What makes Crystal River attractive to manatees? Crystal River is at the edge […]

Manatees in Florida Springs

Florida is the spring capital of the world. The state contains 700 natural springs. 33 of these are first-magnitude springs, or those that discharge at least 100 cubic feet per second (which amounts to at least 64.6 million gallons of water daily). This is more first-magnitude springs than any other state in the United States, […]

Warning: Alligators and Snakes

I recently contributed a set of ‘Readers’ Wildlife Photos’ to a website I follow. I chose alligator photos because that’s what I have been photographing lately. One of the comments on this set of photos really struck me: “Alligators are kind of fascinating to me because they are (I think) the only potentially deadly predators […]

Deer and Alligator Standoff

American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) occasionally eat deer. The largest (verified) alligator on record was 15 feet 9 inches long and weighed 1,1011.5 pounds. Unfortunately, this alligator was killed by hunters in Alabama in 2014. As described by the taxidermist who prepared its skin and skeleton, this alligator had a partially digested deer carcass in its […]

Feeding The Silver King

The Atlantic tarpon (Megalops atlanticus), nicknamed the silver king, is one of the world’s great saltwater sport fish due to its large size and spectacular fighting ability. Tarpon can reach over 8 feet and 350 pounds. When hooked, they have a penchant for leaping from the water. Tarpon inhabit warm coastal Atlantic waters from the […]

The fascinating Florida Softshell Turtle

Softshell turtles are unlike any other group of turtles – with their soft-shells, snake-like neck, and snorkel-like nostrils. Native to Africa, Asia, and North America, this group (family Trionychidae) contains 35 species. Three species of softshell turtle are found in North America. The Florida softshell (Apalone ferox) is the largest. In Florida, I have had […]

Life and Death on the Florida Prairie

Florida and prairie are two words not typically associated with each other. Yet, just outside Gainesville, in north central Florida is a 21,000 acre prairie where wild horses and bison roam. This prairie is unlike those of the U.S. central plains in that much of it is flooded and it is home to abundant alligators. […]

It’s an alligator eat alligator world

As a wildlife photographer, every once in a while you come across something and think ‘wow, few people have probably seen this before’. Yesterday, on the boardwalk of La Chua trail in Payne’s Prairie Preserve State Park (just outside Gainesville, Florida), I came across such a scene. A truly massive alligator had half of a […]

Ratsnake Hunting Behavior

Ratsnakes are large snakes (over 6 feet as adults) found in the eastern United States. The Virginia Herpetological Society reports that they are the most commonly seen snake in Virginia. This is the case because they move around a lot and are often found near human habitation (such as barns and old buildings) where their […]

Toad Toxicity

Amphibians are generally small, soft, and many bigger predators like to eat them. A few groups have evolved chemical defenses which make them toxic and therefore unpalatable to predators. One such group is the toads (family Bufonidae). Herping (verb): the act of searching for amphibians and reptiles. Several weeks ago, in the Everglades, I decided […]