Florida's Wildlife: Precautions

Alligators
Alligators are rarely a problem for a hiker, unless humans have fed the alligator. If an alligator is habituated to human presence, it won’t get out of your way. If an alligator fearlessly blocks the trail, do not approach it or try to walk around it. Make noise, stomp your feet, and let it move before you continue. Never feed or touch an alligator.

Bears
Consider yourself fortunate if you see a Florida black bear. Mostly active in the early morning hours, this elusive mammal teases you with scat and tracks left on hiking trails. A full-grown Florida black bear weighs no more than 350 pounds, and will quickly move out of your way if it sees you. No one has ever been attacked by a Florida black bear.

Crocodiles
Crocodiles are differentiated from alligators by their pointed snouts, lighter color, and preference for salt water. The American crocodile is an endangered species endemic to South Florida, and may be encountered along waterways from the upper Keys up through Miami on the east coast, and throughout the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands north to Sanibel Island on the west coast. While crocodile sightings are rare, take the same precautions with crocodiles as you would with alligators.

Insects
Thanks to our warm weather, Florida’s insects enjoy longer lives than in most states. As a result, your hike will not be entirely insect-free until the first serious chill hits a region, usually by mid-November. Bug-free bliss continues through March. For the rest of the year, keep a long-lasting sportsman’s insect repellant in your pack. To keep off ticks and chiggers (also known as “red bugs”), spray your hiking clothing beforehand with permethrin. To minimize bug problems when you sit, carry a plastic garbage bag to sit on when you take your breaks. Spray yourself with repellant. Long-time Florida hikers recommend wearing long pants to beat the mosquitoes, and dusting your socks with sulfur powder (available over-the-counter from a pharmacist, who has to grind it) to fend off chiggers. If your legs feel itchy after a hike, take a 15-minute plunge in a hot tub or a hot bath to ward off any further affects from chiggers, microscopic bugs that attach themselves to your skin to feed. Check yourself carefully for ticks.

Spiders can be problematic to Florida hikers between March and November, as they tend to build large webs across the trail. Most commonly, you’ll see the large golden orb spider in its sticky yellow web, and the crab spider, smaller but obvious because of the shell on its back. Be proactive. Pick up a stick (the stalk of a saw palmetto frond works well) and hold it tilted in front of you to catch any human-height webs. Try to duck under webs that you can see, as a spider’s web is a masterpiece of nature—and the spider is helping to rid the forest of other pesky bugs.

Be especially careful to check your sleeping bag and tent before crawling in. The brown recluse spider can easily hide in your gear and its bite is not only painful but will kill tissue. Black widows lurk in holes, too. Seek help immediately if you think you've suffered any kind of spider bite.

Marine Life
Enjoying a barefoot hike along Florida’s beaches means keeping your eyes open for the marine life that washes ashore, particularly clear, glassy blobs of jellyfish. Stepping on one means hours of intense pain. If you decide to enjoy a dip in the sea, bear in mind that Florida leads the world in shark attacks on bathers. Most attacks occur along the Atlantic Coast, with the highest concentration at New Smyrna Beach. Be particularly cautious about wading into the water at Smyrna Dunes Park. On the Gulf of Mexico, wading in the sea calls for the “stingray shuffle.” Set each foot down on the ocean floor with a resounding stomp, which alerts the stingrays to stay clear.

Panthers
Considered one of the most endangered species in the nation, the Florida panther roams the vast remaining wilderness areas of the Big Cypress and Everglades. Shy and elusive, the Florida panther is a subspecies of the cougar. They feed on deer and feral hogs, ranging across a home territory of up to 200 square miles. Since there are less than 70 individuals in the wild, panther sightings are rare, but not unknown. Humans are at little risk from the panther population. If you encounter an injured or dead panther, however, do not approach it. Contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (941-353-8442) as quickly as possible regarding the animal’s location and situation. Most of the cats wear collars and are tracked with radio telemetry.

Snakes
Florida’s poisonous snakes include the southern copperhead, the cottonmouth moccasin (sometimes called water moccasin), the eastern coral snake, and three types of rattlesnake: timber, eastern diamondback, and pygmy. In South Florida, escaped pythons and anacondas can be a concern if you're camping in Everglades National Park or the southernmost reaches of Big Cypress National Preserve. Although non-poisonous, the common black racer can be aggressive. In areas where the trail is overgrown, be vary of where you set your feet. Never handle a snake.