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Editor's Notes

• #2: The water play section of the park was beautifully designed, complete with egrets and (very life-like) crocodiles.
• #3: An enormous alligator. The park is proactive in conservation projects and is the port of call for people who find rogue gators on their golf courses or in their pools.
• #4: The gators in the water play area.
• #5: The signs were all neatly done, clear and not faded in the sun. Phrased in a local ¡°Southern¡± dialect, they managed to be both informal and quirky yet also impart interesting information.
• #6: A turtle sits with the alligators in this pen. Different pools held alligators of different sizes; babies in one, small in the next, right up to enormous ones in the main pools. There was also a snapping turtle in this one.
• #7: This was a show which involved members of the audience encountering a variety of dangerous and/or frightening creatures. Though fairly light on animals it was hugely entertaining, thanks to these two guys , who were natural entertainers and created a show that was both educational and yet very funny. A real highlight of the day.
• #8: An Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake.
• #10: Two salt water crocodiles, male and female.
• #11: The water play area was pristine and neatly designed.
• #12: Another show, ¡°Gator Jumparoo¡±, featured hand feeding the alligators.
• #13: Gators leaping out of the water to grab pieces of chicken.
• #14: The park also had a superb display of native Florida reptiles, including Cottonmouths, rattlesnakes and various lizards. Here are some giant (non-native) Aldabra Tortoises.
• #15: The park owns a large amount of land outside the confines of Gatorland itself, meaning that the park, although having its entrance on the main road, feels like a slice of wilderness. There is also a walkway through surrounding swampland.
• #16: A gator lazing in the sun in the main swamp.
• #17: Gatorland is also a haven for many species of birds, drawn both by the swampland and the abundant food supply. Turkey vultures, egrets and herons hang around the gators and I saw an osprey fishing in the lake.