Panhandle Reptiles

• Alligators
• Snakes
• Turtles

Alligators

Alligators are often what animal comes to mind when people think of Florida. They are found in all Florida counties and along Florida's vast wayways. They prefer fresh water that are slow moving rivers or lakes. Alligators create mound like nests made up of soil and various river debris. Alligators, like all reptiles, are cold blooded and must regulate their body temperature by basking in the Florida sunshine or moving to various levels of water temperature, depending the situation. To learn more about Alligators, visit our article titled, "Alligators Love Wakulla County."

Snakes

Florida is home to many different kinds of snakes, both venomous (such as rattlesnackes, coral, and cottonmouths) and non-venoumous (such as racers, kingsnakes, etc). Photoed here is the Kingsnake, which is often confused with the venoums Coral Snake. Both the coral and kingsnake are important to Florida's ecosystem. They are shy snakes and if encountered it is best to allow them to flee. To tell the difference in King and Coral snakes just remember "Red on Black, friend of jack!" To learn more about the Kingsnake, visit our article titled "The Friendly Snake."

Turtles

Florida is home to over two dozen types of turtles. Most of these are fresh water turtles, which travel up and down our states river highways. If you take a canoe or kayak out on the Wakulla River, it wouldn't take you very long to discover turtles such as the one seen here sun bathing along logs or downed trees.