Anhinga Trail - (Dry Season ,safari- Tuesday 12) Wood Stork and American Alligator

Wood Stork Profile

These waders feed on minnows in shallow water by using their bills to perform a rare and effective fishing technique. The stork opens its bill and sticks it into the water, then waits for the touch of an unfortunate fish that wanders too close. When it feels a fish, the stork can snap its bill shut in as little as 25 milliseconds—an incredibly quick reaction time matched by few other vertebrates.
The storks prefer to employ this technique in isolated pools created by tides or falling freshwater levels, where fish congregate en masse. In some areas, such as Florida, breeding begins with the dry season that produces these optimal fishing conditions.(lhttp://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/wood-stork.htm)

Read More:Coming home: Wood storks return to nest at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary after two years away

Other areas of Nests
Paurotis Pond, Everglades National Park
and next to the highway US 41, in direction of W, after crossing Krome Ave

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American Alligator

Both males and females reach sexual maturity when they are about six feet long, a length attained at about 10 to 12 years, earlier for males than females. Courtship starts in April, with mating occuring in early May. After mating has taken place, the female builds a nest of vegetation. Then, around late June and early July, the female lays 35 to 50 eggs. Some females have been reported as laying up to 88 eggs. The eggs are then covered with the vegetation nest through the 65-day incubation period. (Britton, 1999; Godwin, 1999).

Pajerski, L., B. Schechter and R. Street. 2000. "Alligator mississippiensis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed May 14, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Alligator_mississippiensis.html.

Photos by Juan C Aguero (juanKa)
Anhinga Trail, Everglades National Park
May12,2009