Monday, March 30, 2020

Florida: A Restrospective

After moving back to Michigan from Florida, I wanted to look back a little bit and reminisce on some of the experiences I had while working for the University of Florida for two years. During my time in Florida I was able to work with animals that I had dreamt about as a child. So let's go back, and take a look at some photos from throughout my time in the Everglades and beyond.

A massive adult female Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) which measured in at 15' in length.

A monstrous Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) from the Everglades.
Disgruntled with finding this DOR Eastern Diamondback during a road survey.
Wrangling a six foot Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus), the largest individual I've seen.
Handling a gorgeous Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus) that didn't have a mean bone in its body.

Admiring a large Florida Bark Scorpion (Centruroides gracilis), large but docile.
Big smiles after hand capturing this invasive Nile Monitor (Varanus niloticus) which jumped into our boat during survey.
Obviously very excited about seeing this large Eastern Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi) up close.

Posed for a quick photo with friend & colleague Ed Metzger after capturing and processing a healthy adult gator in the Everglades.

A handful of freshly hatched American Crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus), handled and processed under proper permits.

A gorgeous adult Florida Pine Snake (Pituophis melanoleucus) found on a 96 degree day in the end of July.

A roughly ten foot Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) captured just a few days after Hurricane Irma ripped through south Florida.
Getting ready to work up a truly giant male American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) that I snared as part of a research project. 

My last night of field work with UF produced this large Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus), the largest I captured during my time in Florida.