Posted by:
Mike_Rochford
at Wed Oct 7 16:50:07 2009 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by Mike_Rochford ]
Caiman are relatively uncommon. I've seen a few here and there but now many. One night I saw two in the canal on the north side of US-41 while spotlighting for alligators in an airboat. One was about 5 feet long and the other was only a couple feet long. I wasn't able to catch either one and have been back there several times since then but haven't seen any more caiman. I caught one at Holiday Park out in the marsh and I know a spot off of US-41 where a few have been removed. A friend of mine found a large one off of loop road in Big Cypress. But, I don't think caiman are nearly as successful as pythons. MOST of them seem to be found in canals. I'm not sure if they do too well in the interior marshes, even though they are occasionally found in them.
Some friends of mine also found a Paleosuchus in ENP but I'm guessing it was an isolated individual.
Pythons, on the other hand, live in every kind of habitat the Everglades has to offer. Mangroves, marshes, pine flatwoods, agricultural fields, etc. "THE" field being referred to is immediately adjacent to ENP and is used for agriculture. I'm sure that attracts unusually high numbers of rodents which in turn attracts unusually high numbers of pythons. I don't think anyone would tell you that the densities in that field are the same as the densities you would find in a marsh. Interestingly, this year more farmers to the north of this field (closer to US-41) have started reporting large numbers of pythons in their fields (and a lack of rabbits compared to years past).
Mike
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RE: I'm skeptical - Mike_Rochford, Wed Oct 7 16:50:07 2009