In Florida, you might see a sign mentioning alligators in the neighborhood. Believe it. Any neighborhood with a pond or a swamp. In Florida, you’re usually within walking distance of a pond or swamp. Walking distance, even if you have short, stumpy legs like an alligator. I hear they can run fast, but I’ve never seen it. They usually don’t stroll too far from water’s edge. And the few I’ve seen appear quite timid and ready to slither back into the slime from which they came.
Good iPhone photo of the sign, not so good of the alligator, who I believe is a juvenile. Not very big. He/she/it lives in the swamp about 25 yards down the hill behind my apartment. A stout little wood fence separates my patio from the hill. Now why would anyone want to block that lovely view with a three-foot fence? Or a sign?
iPhone photo quality does not improve when you zoom in. But with alligators, zooming is better than trying a closeup, IMO. I’ve got to get my real camera working. He/she/it seems to live in mouth-wide-open mode. For what it’s worth.
— John
Living Simply And Still On The Grid 
We live about 1/2 mile from a large lake. There are gators, and they think nothing about having dogs as part of their diet. There are images of gators climbing 5 foot fences, too. Fortunately, gators tend to shy away from adults. It’s to crocodiles you have to worry about. There are some in the everglades. They eagerly attack humans.
Still, one has to be careful around lakes. Many have water moccasins. They can be lethal.
Every beautiful place has it’s downside.
LikeLike
Indeed! I plan to avoid crocodiles and the Everglades. Yes, the sign behind my apt also warns of snakes. I’ve not seen one in my year and a half at this location, but I have no doubt they’re around.
I definitely would not allow any dog smaller than a German Shepherd or a Greyhound near my marsh. Greyhound could definitely outrun an alligator, and I hope the German Shepherd would scare it away. I think there are three alligators living in my marsh, One full-grown adult and two juveniles. Fortunately they seem quite timid and only sunbathe right at the edge of the water. This apartment property also has it least three nice ponds and I think there are or one or more alligators in each one.
I’ve heard about alligators climbing fences. Do you think they can climb wooden fences or only chain-link fences?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not sure what they can climb, all I remember is gasping at the sight of a gator climbing over a fence. You’d think that someone born and raised in Florida would have known they could do that.
LikeLike
I’ve heard of it, but never seen it. I’m a newcomer and I hope the fence-climbing is rare. 🤔 You just caused me to measure my wooden fence. It’s pretty stout, with 4 x 4 posts, very solid. Only about 33 inches high. No more than about 1/8 of an inch between the slats, and they go down to within 1/4 inch of the cement sidewalk on the other side of the fence. About 2 inches of space underneath the gate, however. Even a dog would have a hard time digging under the fence because of the concrete outside. It obviously won’t keep out a snake, although I’ve never seen one in my large patio. (Small apartment, outside patio almost as large as inside apartment. 🙄 you can see why I call this blog “Living Simply”) (patio belongs primarily to the mosquitoes. I don’t get much use out of it, except to keep piling more mulch in the garden areas to prevent it from returning to rain forest.)
Was I talking about alligators? Since the fence is only 33 inches high, maybe I’ll consider procuring a shotgun for defense in case of an alligator attack. I wonder what gauge shotgun would be necessary to stop an adult alligator? Any recommendations?
LikeLiked by 1 person
That might be a good question to ask an expert.
You’d also have to find out whether or not alligators are considered an endangered species from year to year. 🙂 It’s hard to keep track.
LikeLike
Yeh. By the time I recovered from the shocking noise of the shotgun firing, and the power of the recoil, the alligator would be dead and a sheriff’s deputy would be there with handcuffs, already reading me my rights, if any.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Once upon a time, if it threatened your home you had the right to dispose of it.
LikeLike
Note to self: no matter what, do not move to a place with gators, crocs, and lethal snakes
LikeLike
You’ll be OK in Florida, as long as you’re not totally reckless. However, it is advisable to never stick your hand or your foot into any vegetation you cannot see into. 😎
LikeLike
Also, does that critter ever move? Maybe it’s a decoy!
LikeLike
They usually remain so motionless you think they might be dead, or at least sleeping. They like to sunbathe, but I think they are always awake and alert. I don’t go anywhere near them, but even at a distance, if I make a move or a sound, they will startle and slip quickly into the water. I will say that I think both the gators and the snakes are afraid and try to remain unseen. Not necessarily a comforting thought, because it means there are probably more around that I am aware of.
LikeLike
One of my relatives moved to a “senior community” on the Gul Coast of Florida, houses surrounding an 18 hole golf course which had been essentially carved out of the swamp. Legend has it that a golfer managed to hit his ball into some tall gass, and, parting the fronds, saw that it rested about a foot away from a torpid (fortuinately) alligator’s snout.
I mean what iron do you use for that? I think he took a mulligan on that one.
LikeLike
Don’t doubt that sort of thing has happened more than once. Probably happens every day somewhere in Florida.
LikeLiked by 1 person