Those big crocs can run fast on land too. They deserve lots of respect.
/jmac
-----Original Message-----
From: olympus-owner@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:olympus-owner@xxxxxxxxxx]On
Behalf Of Andrew Fildes
Sent: Sunday, June 04, 2006 7:55 AM
To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [OM] Re: Like a bad penny, I am back, OT now BBQ
Interesting advice. Big saltwater crocs are perhaps less forgiving.
The best advice I've heard here? - take your dog with you.
Folklore claims that crocs prefer dog to human meat and will go for
the dog first. I suspect it's really because predators instinctively
target the smaller and weaker in a prey group - I don't think that
they're gourmets to that extent, even if the dog is barbecued first.
Man's best friend or best defence? You'd miss your dog, but you'd
miss your leg more.
Andrew Fildes
afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
On 04/06/2006, at 11:33 PM, Chuck Norcutt wrote:
> I think that in the world of gators (and other reptiles as well) size
> matters. If you're as big as or bigger than the gator you're pretty
> safe. If the gator's 12 or 13 feet long keep your distance.
>
> I frequently used to walk the trails and take my kayak into the
> interior
> of the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (Boynton Beach, FL). I
> often encounterd gators sunning themselves on the banks in areas
> where I
> couldn't stay more than 10-12 feet away. If the gator was only 8-9
> feet
> (and, since sunning itself, was probably a bit sluggish from the
> cold) I
> would pass on by. But if the gator was bigger than that and
> expecially
> if turned toward me I'd carefully evaluate whether taking another path
> might be more advisable.
>
> In the kayak, while in the interior, it always struck me that the
> gators
> in the water weren't smart enough to distinguish me from the 12 foot
> long white bottomed kayak. That generally gave me the size advantage
> and they would skedaddle off. But then, in six years of kayaking
> there,
> I never encounterd the 15 footer which some said was out there not far
> away. The guys you had to watch out for were the 8-10 footers who
> hung
> around the boat ramp. They had lost their fear of humans because
> of the
> @#$!#$ people who would feed them.
>
> Just to reiterate; if a gator is on the bank sunning itself it is
> probably cold, sluggish and feeling not 100%. That's why it's on the
> bank in the sun. But they really don't feel completely at home out of
> the water and will stay there if warm enough. Stay out of the
> water though.
>
> Chuck Norcutt
>
>
> NSURIT@xxxxxxx wrote:
>>
>> Given the recent interactions folks have had with alligators in
>> Florida, I
>> have developed a new respect for these beasts and cringe at the
>> thought of how
>> close I've gotten to a few very big ones in the past. This will
>> not keep me
>> from going to one of my favorite haunts, Brazos Bend State Park,
>> however I
>> will be more careful when visiting their space.
>
>
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