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Should we drain the Everglades?

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116 points ksymph | 2 comments | 16 Sep 25 19:33 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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ortusdux ◴[16 Sep 25 21:11 UTC] No.45268108[source]▶
Speaking of the uncanny feeling of shallow water, there are parts of the Florida keys where you can paddle a kayak a good half a mile from shore and still be in 2-4 ft of water. It's a great place to learn a new watersport as if you fall in you can just stand up.
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Rendello ◴[16 Sep 25 21:12 UTC] No.45268127[source]▶
Leeches freak me out, I can't imagine swimming with (or falling on) the gators!
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AdieuToLogic ◴[17 Sep 25 02:04 UTC] No.45270713[source]▶
>> Speaking of the uncanny feeling of shallow water, there are parts of the Florida keys ...

> Leeches freak me out, I can't imagine swimming with (or falling on) the gators!

FWIW, neither leeches nor alligators are indigenous to salt water, which is what surrounds the Florida keys.

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1. dhussoe ◴[17 Sep 25 02:09 UTC] No.45270751[source]▶
Alligators maybe not, but in the one time that I have paddleboarded in the keys I saw a crocodile. Probably a crocodile rather than a gator, I didn’t get that close… but from reading articles they’ll occasionally eat a small dog around there, so they are definitely out there.
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2. AdieuToLogic ◴[17 Sep 25 02:22 UTC] No.45270858[source]▶
Saltwater crocs do exist in southern Florida, no doubt. And there's some chance a gator could swim from one island to another (or the mainland).

The easiest way to discern each is based on their snout. If the reptile you saw has a blunt nose about the same width as its jaw, then it's a gator. If, instead, the jaw looked more like a trapezoid, then it's a croc.

Both are opportunistic hunters capable of taking down mammals up to adult bovines or horses. The latter two examples are rare as the size of the croc/gator has to be rather large.