Southeastern Dangerous Wildlife

[Sidewinder6]

Florida Gators, on the other hand, are personable, handsome, suave, debonair, highly intelligent, and all-around good fellows and boon companions.



The Florida Gator likes nothing better than to snack on some nice tasty Georgia Bulldog.


Sorry, couldn't resist.

On second thought ... naaah, I'm not sorry.

Ah would this be the same school that used a Crocodile on the cover page of their athletic program two years ago.

[Heavy Metal]

What?!? No coral snake?

[RogerinTPA]

Excellent write up TheLandlord. Those gators can be found every freakin wear. There are companies that are set up to deal with snakes and gators around here. A lot of them can be found in people's pools in SE FL. A gator killed a woman walking her dog around a pond here a few years ago. Some dude fishing on a lake in Lakeland, FL, was dragged underwater and attacked by a gator. He woke up covered with brush with a mangled leg afterwards. The cops said he was lucky that the gator wasn't hungry at the time of the attack. It actually dragged him back to shore and covered him with brush, basically storing it's future meal.

[Thomas M-4]

What?!? No coral snake?

Exactly what I was thinking

Many years ago when I was in middle school we had one in the lunch room

[crispy]

What?!? No coral snake?

Hope no-one minds me adding a little to this thread. Not the greatest pics but they give one an idea of what a coral snake looks like. This particular one was hiding beneath the hay bales.

crispy

Edit to add.....red touch black/venom lack.........red touch yellow/kill a fellow.

[au1776]

Florida Gators, on the other hand, are personable, handsome, suave, debonair, highly intelligent, and all-around good fellows and boon companions.



The Florida Gator likes nothing better than to snack on some nice tasty Georgia Bulldog.


Sorry, couldn't resist.

On second thought ... naaah, I'm not sorry.

Unfortunately, the often successful Florida Gator has recently had significant problems with a variety of Tiger native to Eastern Alabama.

[Hootiewho]

Having had Lyme and Rocky Mountain Spotted Tick Fever at the same time, being sick as hell for 6 months and still suffer with issues from the Lyme from time to time; some times the most dangerous critters in the woods are the ones that are almost invisible.

At the time I became ill, I had been installing some treestands on a new hunting lease in August. I had countless ticks on me, that I would pick off at the end of the day. No big deal as I had been tick bit many times in the past. I noticed a very very small tick or two that I had never seen before. It had been on me 2 days after I left the woods. Needless to say, several weeks later I was sick as hell, and had a nasty rash on my left thigh. I was down for 6 months and even now several years later I still have occasional numbness in my limbs and fatigue.

Watch out for the bugs guys, lots of times they will **** you up worse than any snake here in the SE.

[Iowa Don]

My sister was an ER nurse in Ft. Meyers, Fla. A gentleman was brought in who had been "playing with" a coral snake. This reptile has quite short fangs, usually not more than 3/8". However, the venom is very powerful. In fact, it cost over $300,000 to keep this guy alive! There is a mnemonic about "color next to color" is a friend to Jack; " 'color' " next to black" kills Jack. I don't remember it, and since I live in Iowa, have only to concern myself with Massaugua rattlers, Timber rattlers, Prairie rattlers, and Copperheads.

The Massaugua is not common, up to 30", and found in a very few marshy areas. The Timber's live mostly in the bluffs along the Mississippi and in an area SE of Des Moines. I've seen them over 5' and as big as my forearm around. They are the most common rattler in Iowa. Prairie's are found in the Northern Loess Hills along the Missouri, and are not very common. All rattlers are protected species in the state. There is a small isolated population of copperheads about 20 miles north of Ottumwa, in the SE part of the state and are seen infrequently at best.

I have encountered people from thevery farthest SE part of the state who heatedly insist there are Cottonmouths here, but specimens always turn out to be Common Brown Water Snakes. While they do have a nasty disposition and mimic the gape threat of a Cottonmouth, other than blood poisoning or other infection from the bite, are harmless.

Nor should we forget the American Crocodile, for whom we would all make a tasty meal. These are generally coastal creatures, but nonetheless quite dangerous for the same reasons as the American Alligator.

In closing, "Good on ya" for posting this thread.

Yet, when all is said and done, I find the "Streetus Animalous" to be the most feared, although easily rebuked with a lethal hot lead injection. It's cunning and savagery make it difficult to discern at times, though it is normally found close to it's lair. It may ask for a light, a dollar, or something else. Avoiding it's normal haunts is easy, and after living in Chicago for 7 years, some of it driving a taxi, I am well practiced in the art and science of recognizing these critters. You should be too.

[Mjolnir]

Unfortunately, the often successful Florida Gator has recently had significant problems with a variety of Tiger native to Eastern Alabama...

as well as the Tiger variety native of the region once named "West Florida". They are sometimes referred to as "Bayou Bengals by the native folk.