NEWS-PRESS (Fort Myers, Florida) 23 August 05 Croc shakes up Cape couple in Keys (Charles Runnells)
Photo: • An American crocodile, estimated at 6 feet in length, emerges from the seagrass off Key West on Monday. Despite causing uneasiness for some swimmers, experts say the animal poses no danger to humans.(AP)
The crocodile disappeared underwater, and Darren and Michelle Kenyon made a break for it.
Adrenaline pumping, the Cape Coral couple plunged off the tiny rock island Sunday at Key West's Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, and they swam like mad for the shoreline.
Darren Kenyon, 42, risked two frantic glances back. The crocodile was still gone from view — but that didn't mean it wouldn't reappear.
"I swam like I've never swam before," said Michelle Kenyon, 34. "Afterward, on the beach, my whole body shook for 30 minutes."
The 5- to 6-foot American crocodile — rare for Key West and Florida — kept the couple trapped on the tiny rock island for about 45 minutes Sunday. They were snorkeling when a kayaker pointed out the croc just yards away, and the Kenyons immediately fled to land.
Officials quickly closed off the sandy part of the park's beach for several hours Sunday and kept swimmers out of the water.
Since then, the croc has caused other scares in Key West. Casa Marina Resort closed its beach Monday after the pale crocodile was spotted under its pier.
Wildlife officials can't remove or kill the crocodile, because it's an endangered species, Key West police said.
Unlike alligators, American crocodiles are docile, and there are no documented reports of a crocodile attacking a human in Florida in at least 50 years, said Gary Morse, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. In that time, about 350 gator attacks have been recorded, he said.
Florida's American crocodile population has been estimated to be about 500 to 1,000, not including hatchlings. Rangers at Fort Zachary Taylor Park said they'd never seen a crocodile there before.
The Kenyons had been vacationing for the weekend in Key West. They were driving home Sunday when they decided to stop by the park to snorkel.
They were swimming about 15 minutes when a kayaker pointed at a crocodile just 10 or 15 yards away. The shore was two or three times that distance from them.
The choice was clear, and the couple scraped their legs as they scrambled onto a nearby rock island.
"I wanted to get my tail out of the water," Darren Kenyon said. "It was just a fear of being eaten. That's exactly what it was."
Then they waited, keeping a nervous eye on the croc. The reptile splashed nearby, feeding on small fish.
"I've seen plenty of alligators in my day," Darren Kenyon said. "But never a croc.
"It was scary."
Finally, after about 45 minutes, the crocodile dove underwater, and emergency officials on the shore waved the couple in.
The frantic swim took only about 30 seconds. But try telling that to Michelle Kenyon.
"It seemed like forever," she said.
A day later, the couple said they can joke about their brush with danger. But they realize things could have ended badly — especially if they hadn't been warned about the crocodile beforehand.
"If we'd kept swimming in the direction were were going, we would have swam right into him," Darren Kenyon said, "and been lunch."
Information
All species of crocodiles and alligators are known collectively as crocodylians because they share many basic features. However, scientists place crocodiles and alligators in different families (crocodile in Crocodylidae, and alligators in Alligatoridae) based on key differences.
Alligators, for example, generally have broad U-shaped snouts. Crocodiles have narrower V-shaped snouts.
With alligators, the upper jaw overlaps the lower jaw, and that hides all the teeth of the lower jaw in the upper jaw. With crocodiles, its teeth interlock and protrude — especially the fourth upper tooth on either side, which can be seen when the mouth is closed.
Also, alligators live in large bodies of freshwater such as rivers, lakes and swamps. Crocodiles live in both freshwater and saltwater.
SOURCES: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Encyclopedia, Animal Planet Web site
Croc shakes up Cape couple in Keys