Animal Seekers

Finding an American Crocodile in the wild was something that eluded me when I first traveled to Everglades National Park back in 2009. I saw lots and lots of alligators, but no crocodiles. I even tried to see if some of the alligators I photographed were crocodiles, but was never able to figure it out.

Turns out crocodiles are a lot more shy and elusive than alligators – and there also are far fewer of them in Florida, although their numbers have been on the rebound.

So when I returned to Everglades in December 2025, I was determined to find a crocodile. I read up about it before hand and discovered one of the best places to spot a crocodile was the bridge at the entrance to the marina canal in Flamingo, Florida. So, I set out to find one there.

It turned out to not be easy. I found the bridge but was unlucky at first. Someone said there was a big crocodile swimming in the water, but I had my dog with me, and they warned not to bring the dog on the bridge as crocodiles apparently can jump that high!

Heading their warning rather than risking the dog, we took the dog back to the picnic table and dropped her off with other family members. But by the time I got back, the crocodile was gone. Alluded again!

We ate lunch and then we went to try again. No crocodile. Went to the gift shop and returned. Finally, someone pointed out a crocodile a little ways down resting by a log in the water. 

Certainly, they aren’t the best photos or videos I’ve ever gotten. The croc wasn’t close, and there were some obstructions blocking viewing a bit. But I finally can say I definitely saw a crocodile in the wild. 

How did I know, other than people telling me? Well, crocodiles are noticeably paler than alligators, more grey. And more of their teeth jut out because their snout is narrower. Finally, they prefer brackish or saltwater near mangroves in areas of Everglades such as Flamingo where it’s right by the ocean. 

Someday I may get back to get better photos, but for now this will suffice. It’s far more important to stay safe (and keep kids and pets safe) than get the best photo.  

I first visited the Linesville Spillway at Pymatuning State Park in far western Pennsylvania during the pandemic when we were in search of outside activities to do. My husband, who grew up in the general vicinity, had been there several times over the years and was familiar with it. We took my son, then three, to feed the fish that literally spill over into the spillway when there’s lots of water. I was surprised by just how many fish there were – hundreds and hundreds of common carp.

We fed them bread, which I know is often frowned upon or not allowed. But here it’s encouraged – it dates back to a tradition of feeding the fish bread that started in 1934 when the Spillway was built. To this day, there are nearby venders that sell the bread, and it’s one of the few places where the state allows it. In addition to the fish, seagulls, ducks and geese also gather around hoping for a piece of bread.

I went back in August 2025 to feed the fish again and see how it’s changed – still the same, except a bit drier. I also read up on common carp, which are native to Eurasia but were brought to the states in the 1800s for food. But people in America apparently don’t have a taste for carp and prefer other fish to eat. So, they then became an invasive species, often crowding out other fish and animals. But at the spillway, they are beloved with their big pink sucker mouths sucking in food and grime alike, spitting out what they can’t digest.

Did you know that the sex of a turtle is determined by the temperature of the nest where a female turtle lays her eggs? Warmer temperatures lead to more female turtles, while cooler temperatures make males.  

That’s leading to some concern that global warming could cause all the painted turtles to die off: A study by the Naturalist found that a rise of even 1.1 degrees celsius could make all painted turtles hatch as females. Although I do wonder if they might just wait until a bit later in the season to lay the eggs so that they’ll get a higher male population. Not sure if they’ve studied that yet. 

Learning about this trait in the painted turtle, which I spotted on a trip to Watkins Glen State Park in the Finger Lakes back in August 2011, made me wonder if other species share this characteristic.

I discovered that it’s fairly common among some types of reptiles, including other turtles and members of the crocodile family. Fish and amphibians also can have gender influenced by incubation temperature. With some species, cooler temperature led to more females and warmer to more males, exactly the opposite of the painted turtle’s pattern. In other instances, warm and cool temperatures lead to females, while mid-range temps mean males.  It’s all very fascinating. 

I spotted painted turtles again on a more recent trip this summer when we stopped by Hancock, Maryland, on our way to Washington, D.C.

We walked along the C&O Canal trail and after crossing a bridge, quickly happened upon what appeared to be hundreds of turtles and frogs in the murky, algae-infested waters. They were covered in algae, sunning themselves on rocks. They were a bit skittish and jumped off the rocks quickly. They were pretty though under all that muck, with bright orange and red that helps to distinguish them from other turtles.

Before I went on a tour of Yellow-Eyed Penguins back in 2003 when I was on a trip to New Zealand, I assumed that all penguins lived in Antarctica. It wasn’t until I was standing in front of one on the shores in New Zealand in 50-degree weather that I began to believe that wasn’t the case. In fact, as I later learned, penguins live along the shorelines of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and even the Galapagos Islands, which are right on the equator. 

The Yellow-Eyed Penguins that I saw, however, only live on New Zealand’s South Island and a few surrounding islands. They are one of the most endangered penguin species. We flew into Dunedin in August to get to the Otago Peninsula, where I saw them after a day of visiting the Royal Albatross. It was around 4 p.m. in the afternoon, and the penguins were just coming back from their daily trip out to sea for food. Most traveled in pairs and waddled from the sea up to their respective huts where they lived. The month was August, which is wintertime in New Zealand, so they were in the midst of the mating season, and there weren’t any chicks to see. 

 

The number of Yellow-Eyed penguins has been in decline on the Otago Peninsula since I was there. They are not exactly sure why, but there are several active movements afoot to try to up the numbers, including one by the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust. 

When I was growing up, I went to visit my grandparents in Florida each year. They lived on a golf course by hole 9, where there also was a small pond. My grandma always warned me to stay away from the pond because of the alligator. Of course, that had a counter effect on me as I’d try to go see it if I could. I never did find that fabeled alligator.

Alligators were much more rare back then. When I went to Florida again in 2008, I thought I might see an alligator in Everglades National Park. I didn’t expect to see literally hundreds of them over the course of a week. 

I didn’t even have to go to Everglades to find the first one. The first one I saw on the trip was at Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, back in the days when shuttles were still taking off there. I looked into a pond at the visitor center and there was a small alligator hanging out.

On the bus tour out to the launch pad, I saw several more alligators along the side of the road. They were literally everywhere. 

Once I reached Everglades a few days later, the sightings only grew more numerous. One of their favorite wintering pools is at the Anhinga Trail – there they congregate by the hundreds at this dry season-hangout. Some were in the water, while others were sunning themselves – it was a pleasant February day.

Later, I saw an alligator from an overlook in a drier part of the Everglades. Finally, I saw several as we drove south through the Everglades, including one that was sitting in the water right next to where I stopped to look for alligators.

None of them were fazed by my presence. 

Finally, when I visited the keys, I was surprised to see one down there on Big Pine Key because I didn’t realize there was fresh water. Apparently, the Blue Hole has fresh water on the top with saltier water further down, which makes it habitable for alligators. 

Since that trip, I have seen many more alligators, most noticeably at Blue Spring State Park, where I have taken three river boat cruises. The boats get up close to the gators. I even saw a gator nest where eggs are laid.

It’s clear these animals have rebounded from their once-endangered status – today, there are over 1 million in Florida alone.  I’ve seen far more than I expected, and am starting to believe what folks say about there being an alligator in every freshwater pond in Florida. Perhaps that should be revised to say several alligators in each freshwater pond in Florida. 

I must admit that I had a difficult time finding facts online about the yellowtail snapper. Everything I could find was about catching them to eat or recipes to cook them. I did find out that they are fairly common, hence why I saw what was probably hundreds of them while on boat tours off the coast of Key West in the Florida Keys and then again in Nassau and Castaway Key, Bahamas.

We left from Key West and headed out a nearby reef, where we went underneath to view what was happening by the reef. Several fish swarmed up to the boat, including the yellowtail snappers. They congregate in small groups and were looking for a bite to eat. It was my first of three boat tours, and while enjoyable, I think I need to learn to snorkel with a waterproof camera – the tours really don’t leave much time for viewing and photographing the fish. 

However, a few years later, I did another semi-sub boat tour in Nassau, where I saw even more yellowtail snapper, and years later another glass bottom boat tour in Castaway Key (both had been excursions while traveling via the Disney Dream). They are fun fish, eager for food and often traveling in big schools.

For more about yellowtail snappers, visit my page about them.

When the Pacific Sea Nettle stings with its maroon tentacles, people say it feels somewhat like a bee sting.

Fortunately, when I photographed the sea nettle, I had my two feet planted firmly on the ground and not in the water, so I did not experience the feeling. 

What I found so fascinating about this species is how different they are from us as mammals. Lack of backbone aside, they seem to be from some other planet. They grow attached to a surface in the water and can make identical copies of themselves that all eventually become jellyfish.

Then, they capture prey by paralyzing it with their tentacles and using the tentacles and hands that look like streaks of white glob to push it into their mouth. They bob in the water waiting for prey to come to them, yet know enough to go out to sea in the spring and summer and come closer to shore in the fall and winter.  

I spotted them in April years ago near the shore on a pier in Monterey, California. I don’t know for sure, but I think the one I saw must be fairly young – it’s small and still close to shore. Kids kept yelling out, “A Jellyfish! A Jellyfish! A Jellyfish!” It was fun to watch them bobbing and weaving in the water (there were several mixed in with fish).

They are popular in aquariums, and I can see why – their bright colors really make them stand out.