With the Eurodam's return to Fort Lauderdale, I took a tour of the
nearby swampland with loads of natural beauty and all types of wildlife.
The tour started after a short bus ride up the interstate to
Sawgrass Recreation Park in Florida's Everglades. The first activity was an
airboat ride ,and the group was fortunate to see an animal that is largely
nocturnal in its hunting and major activities… the alligator.
We returned to the park to see other creatures, some natives
of the Everglades and some that have become invasive species, and then it was back to the ship for another week of cruising.
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| Today's tour was at the Sawgrass Recreation Park. This part is commercial with airboat rides in the swamp. |
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| The tour group required two airboats. This is a shot I took of the other group making their way through the waterways. |
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| Alligators hunt at night. Here's one taking it easy on a Saturday morning. |
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| We were making too much noise, and the gator soon disappeared. |
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| The captain of our airboat was great. |
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| A 40 minute ride goes by quickly. |
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| The peacock and duck were squabbling over some food. The peacock won. This species of duck found its way from Asia. |
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| The guide explained about the dangers of extinction for the Florida Panther. They've tried breeding it with one from the SW USA, but they're not sure if it will work given body differences in the panthers. |
