Alright, so I might as well do the rest of the Everglades complex next. We will start with the manatee lagoon. There are a bunch of fake cypress trees that go to the very bottom of this exhibit (which is 6 feet at the deepest), and a few large rocks at the bottom of the man-made lake. This eventually slopes to an area that is a bit more shallow with tall bog plants for the birds. There are lots of plants in the deeper parts as well. There are a few logs out of the water, mostly for the turtles, but also for some of the birds. This is massive, at least 6,500 square feet for the massive bird population and for the few manatees in here (I am thinking about 5 manatees, maybe a little bit more but not too many). Aside from the west indian manatees, there are spotted gar, florida gar, longnose gar, channel catfish, largemouth bass, bowfin, grass carp, bluegill, redear sunfish, and florida softshell turtle in the water section. Bird species are wood duck, belted kingfisher, sandhill crane, red winged blackbird, purple gallinule, anhinga, baltimore oriole, white ibis, roseate spoonbill, black crowned night heron, yellow crowned night heron, great blue heron, green heron, tri colored heron, little blue heron, great egret, snowy egret, cattle egret, and wood stork.
So of course there are other exhibits in the Everglades complex, next we'll talk about one of three other large exhibits here. The first one is for american crocodiles, and there are a few tree stumps in the water, and a fake rock haulout at the back of the exhibit. Blue spotted sunfish, banded sunfish, black banded sunfish, and banded pygmy sunfish all live in the water as well. There are a few low-lying plants in the water for the sunfish to hide inside of.
The second large exhibit is for american alligators, along with a few fish. This is a very large exhibit, with a few simulated cypress stumps in the water, with a small fake rock haulout. The water has got a bunch of plants in it, as does the land section. Aside from the alligators, there are alligator gar, blue catfish, golden shiner, and redear sunfish.
The last one is a multi-species turtle exhibit, with a haulout at the back that's got pine straw substrate, a few short trees, some palm leaves, and a few fake cypress trees. In the water, there are a few plants, medium sized rocks, and a few pieces of wood that lead up to the haulout. There are western mosquitofish in the water, and free to roam through the exhibit are mississippi map turtle, western pond turtle, florida cooter, barbour's map turtle, suwannee cooter, yellow bellied slider, peninsula cooter, and florida red bellied turtle.
The smaller exhibits are:
First is a tank with sand in the bottom that slopes down into a pool of water at the front side, with a few beach plants at the back. There are also a few pieces of driftwood in here, and this is home to land hermit crabs.
Next is a tank with cypress mulch in the bottom, pine straw, spanish moss, a small rock pool, and a few pieces of a broken tree stump for florida pine snake.
Next is a full-on aquarium with sand, medium rocks, small logs, and tall-growing plants in it housing two-toed amphiuma.
Next is an enclosure with a rock background, cypress mulch substrate, a small rock pool at the corner, a large perch structure going across the middle, a basking rock, and a few pine tree saplings. This houses grey rat snakes.
Next is an enclosure with a rocky background, small waterfall, leaf litter, and tall growing plants inside. This is for green tree frogs.
Next is a tank with gravel in the bottom, a few slate rocks, and a few plants. There is also a small driftwood haulout for the loggerhead musk turtles inside, however they won't likely use it much. There are also western mosquitofish in the water.
Next is a cage with a sandy soil substrate, a huge fallen log, and a bunch of randomly scattered pinecones. This houses eastern diamondback rattlesnake.
Next is a bit taller cage with branches, mini palm trees, a large tree stump, sandy soil, pine straw, and some tall grasses. This houses corn snakes and yellow rat snakes.
Next is a tank with a rock background, a few branches, gravel at the bottom, and even a few plants - this houses alligator snapping turtle.
Next is an exhibit that we haven't yet done, one that has to do with humans. One side of the cage is old, authentic wood - the edge of an old shed, to be specific. There other side, the majority of the exhibit, will be the outside of the shed. There will be lanterns hanging from ropes, coiled up ropes on the ground, an old pair of work boots, and an old tire. There will also be pine straw all over the place. This houses water moccasin (aka cottonmouth)
Next is a natural exhibit, with dead leaves all over the place, a hollow log, a large thick climbing log, a small rock pool, and some pine straw for everglades rat snake.
Next is a multi-species exhibit with leaf litter and a bit of soil in the bottom, plus grapevines on the walls, a small magnolia tree, and a large tree stump. This is for timber rattlesnake and copperhead, my two favorite native venomous snakes.
Since the black rat snake is so commonly encountered by people, it gets a "human" enclosure as well. This will be like a farm, with a big shovel, an antique milk jug, an old pallet, an old hammer, and for water, an old, beat-up metal cat water bowl.
The next exhibit has got sandy soil, plenty of well-spaced, thin climbing branches, and a hide made from slate pieces - this houses my favorite native non-venomous snake, the coachwhip
Whoops, I forgot when I said there are three large exhibits at the top - there are four. The fourth is for american river otters. There are two parts to this exhibit, the den and the water. The water is a large aquarium with plenty of rocks inside, where I imagine the otters would spend a lot of their time. There is a tube leading to the den (that visitors can't see), and the den has got a rock background, plants like ivy growing on the walls, and a few hollow logs they can go inside of.
The gopher tortoise exhibit is bigger than any other "small" exhibits, but isn't exactly big enough to be considered large. There's sandy soil in the bottom, moss growing everywhere, some grasses, dead trees, and a rocky water pool that takes up lots of the enclosure.
Next is a tank about 1/2 (maybe a bit less) filled with water, with fine gravel at the bottom, pothos hanging over the rock background, and a few large wood pieces coming out of the water for the frogs. This houses southern leopard frog, american bullfrog, and greater siren.
Next is an exhibit with a large mudflat at the back, and water at the front. The mud is contained, and the water is heavily filtered so that it stays relatively clear (still with a brown tint to it). There are marsh grasses growing in the mud. This houses diamondback terrapin, fiddler crab, marsh periwinkles, mummichogs, and sheepshead minnows.
That concludes the natives, however the only invasives I have talked about are the fish. Go to page 3 at the bottom to read about that, if you haven't already. Here's the exhibits for the other animals:
There would be a large, floor to ceiling exhibit with a glass front, sandy soil in the bottom (in case you haven't yet noticed this is a common theme
), weeds (no, not marijuana, stuff like crabgrass) growing at the front, and then at the back lots of shrub-like plants and a few juvenile trees at the far back. There are wild boars in here, along with european starling, rock pigeon, house sparrow, and house finch. Most people don't even know that these are actually invasive species, and none of these are native to Florida.
The next tank, for giant african land snails, would have a tiny bit of grass growing on the bottom, and would essentially look like under a house. There would be cinder blocks, pieces of 2x4s, pipes, random pieces of caution tape attached to things, and wires.
Next would be for rats - gambian pouched rats to be specific. There would be stuff from a dump in here - firstly, mud everywhere. There would be a broken up toilet, pipes, pots, and half of a bicycle in here.
Next is an exhibit with a large water section at the front, with gravel in the bottom and other than that, it's empty. On the land section, there is plenty of hollow logs, rocks, and grass filling in everything else. This is home to nutria and muscovy duck.
There would be a glass-fronted exhibit with a model of the top part of a phone line tower, with a fake nest for the birds inside. There are mini palms in here as well. This houses monk parakeets.
The boa constrictor exhibit has tree trunks standing vertically in here, spanish moss, mini palms, various sticks, and pine straw.
The veiled chameleon enclosure has plenty of green leafy plants in it, with a few branches for them to climb. The ground would also be covered in plants - nothing except green will be seen (pretty much).
A large sandy exhibit (there's that sandy soil again) with a bit of pine straw and very low-lying plants and dead leaves inside of it is home to an argentine black and white tegu (or two, or three). There is a large hide made from a pile of sticks as well.
The african rock python exhibit will be like a residential apartment complex - square brick floor for most of it with moss growing in between the bricks, and on the wall, a spicket with a hose attached. There would be a pile of cardboard boxes (somehow attached together so they don't get constantly moved) for a hide.
The green iguanas would live in an exhibit like someone's balcony, with wooden planks for the floor, plus railings, and potted plants and a lawn chair. An end table would also be in here
The burmese python exhibit is actually the everglades - water in the whole thing, reeds everywhere, and a large piece of driftwood coming out of the water for a basking spot.
The nile monitor exhibit is very simple - a residential neighborhood pond. There would be the water at the front, and sloping upwards at the back would be a grassy lawn, and at the back some bushes landscaped to look like they would be around a pond.
Cane toads would be housed in an exhibit like the side yard of someone's house - the wall at the back, one of those boxes that people keep garden hoses in (complete with hose
), tall grass, and a few ornamental garden plants.
The basilisk lizards and knight anoles would be housed in an exhibit that looks like a run-down residential community - a broken segment of chain-link fence, random broken chunks of concrete that look like rocks, dead leaves, twigs, sandy soil, and weeds everywhere. There would be a large pool in here as well.
The brown anole and cuban tree frog exhibit would be simply a large magnolia tree, with smaller mini palms and ferns on the ground littered in the pine straw. The animals receive heavy misting daily, and the enclosure will be very moist.
What do you know, that's the last of the Florida Everglades exhibits. That was fun. More birds and stuff to come and then... the aquarium!
