Big Cypress Visitors Center

Sometimes, Visitors Centers really are just the places to get maps of the park and maybe pick up a postcard or two, but at Big Cypress, there’s some interesting things to see just along the boardwalk in front of the Visitors Center building…..

It doesn’t always happen, but today was our lucky day – the gators were out, sunning themselves on the shore right out front!  It kind of gives “gathering around the water cooler” an entirely different meaning!!

I thought this was a rather cool shot of a submerged gator.  He was hanging around down there, and the water was clear enough I could get a decent shot of him, and also capture the reflection of the clouds.  It gives it sort of a weird effect, but I like it!

I never noticed these fish in this pond before either.  I don’t know what kind they are, but they seem to have very long noses/snouts.  I wondered about them existing with the gators, but gators are a fairly opportunistic type of hunter.  They often will wait until the prey is going by in front of them and then quickly snap it up (except when tempted by idiotic humans, of course!).

Surprise!  This is the first time I’ve seen a turtle in Big Cypress!!  She’s called a Florida Softshell Turtle, and from the size of her, I’m guessing she is a female.  Males are generally half the size of the females and this was quite a large turtle.  She can live up to 20 years out in the wild, such as Big Cypress.  These turtles are carnivores and can snap and claw when cornered.  Gators are their primary predator. 

Enjoy!!