Floridian Critter Experts ??

Hey guys I live in Florida, the hole is the den of a Gopher turtle / tortoise, their an endangered species. In fact if ya have one on your property prior to building, it'll hold the whole process up until it can be caught and relocated. Rattle snakes commonly will share these dens with the Gopher.
 
The hole looks pretty small (2-3") to be a gopher tortoise. Although I suppose there have to be small tortoises in order to have large tortoises.
 
As far as the hole/burrow goes, I'll concur with the crab ID... As someone mentioned, the scale of the raccon tracks led me away from the idea of it being from a gopher tortoise. p'chop is correct in that if you want to slow down development, just point out a gopher tortoise hole...
 
just a thought I recently read an article in the news about a large population on burmese pythons which seem to be thriving throughout Florida and are spreadin into other states...(released pets that are breeding in the while) Large pythons love to live in and around water and can leave large paths like that in the mud...Just a thought.
 
Joezilla said:
It just depends where you are at. We've found 5 pythons in one night. You just have to look in the right places. Monitors are all over Key Biscayne as well.

As far as the track goes, it looks too linear to be a gator, but I'm not sure. Is there alot of dirt pushed up on the sides like something heavy was there? Maybe some thrown up on a left side or right side. If not, and the vegetation looks like it has been trafficked, it might just be a well used rat or mammal run, that took a turn for the worse on a muddy night.

That hole, if near the water, has got to be a crab hole, probably of a ghost crab. Check it out at night with a spotlight, hold it by your head and do sweeps of the area, whistle or make a noise so that you can get any mammals to look at you. You'll be able to see the eyeshines. If you are wondering about gators, take the light out there at night and scan the water, you'll get their eyes shining back as well.
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The common big lizard in South Florida is not a classic monitor type lizard but an imprt species that we used to call a Cuban lizard. it looks more like an anole/iguana cross.....big head, big throat poucn on the males. They get rather large, have VERY long tails (torso/head can be well over a foot long), tail another 2 plus) and are quite nasty.
 
mikeal said:
The hole looks pretty small (2-3") to be a gopher tortoise. Although I suppose there have to be small tortoises in order to have large tortoises.
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I don't know if box turtles burrow. Gopher tortoises seem to be retricted mostly to the west coast of Florida and their burrow are more like 8-12 inches in diameter and are ususally home to a bunch of other critters, including numerous rodents and the rattlesankes that like to eat them.
 
mikeal said:
The hole looks pretty small (2-3") to be a gopher tortoise. Although I suppose there have to be small tortoises in order to have large tortoises.
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They lay their eggs in holes about that size. I've only ever seen them do this with their heads but they may use their front flippers too. Gopher and soft shells do it, often as far as 50 or 100yds from water. Probably a lot of other freshwater turtles as well.
 
Normark said:
Hey Guys..

absolutindian

Yaa thats what I was thinking as well Gator,, however,, looking in the muddy areas,, I would have spotted a track, espcially with the claws on a Gator...

What about a larger lizard ??

Small Monitor maybe ?

As for the hole...

Yes there were coons there,, as well as Otters... I wasn't sure if they were Coon or Otter tracks, as I didn't see any elongated rear foot tracks...

The holes I seen were similar to holes that I seen on Cocoa beach. More than likely, but not impossible coons wouldn't be wandering the beach...

Interesting..

Thanks

Eric
O/ST
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Sorry for the thread hijack guy's

Eric any chance you coud contact me asap, been trying a few different email addy's for you and had no reply.
No PM on here for you

Thanks
William
 
RescueRiley said:
just a thought I recently read an article in the news about a large population on burmese pythons which seem to be thriving throughout Florida and are spreadin into other states...(released pets that are breeding in the while) Large pythons love to live in and around water and can leave large paths like that in the mud...Just a thought.
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looks like a lrg snake track to me. my burmese makes an impression just like that when i take her outside to bask in the summer.
 
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