American alligator, very dark, broad snout
“Dick LOOK.”

I was in the shotgun seat and my vision to the water on the driver’s side was obscured.

Not realizing this Dan exclaimed again, but not as emphatically. “Look.” By then he had swung the car around and there on the boat launch ramp lay a 6 ½ foot long American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus.

This wasn’t really unexpected, for we were in the Everglades National Park, but unexpected or not, seeing a croc, by far the rarer of the 2 native American species, is always exciting.

Actually it was the second one of the day but rather than being out in the open as this one was, the first had been basking in the evening sunlight beneath a doc and was largely covered by floating water plants.

Besides our 2 native species, Florida is home to a 3rd crocodilian species. This the introduced spectacled caiman, Caiman crocodilus ssp., has been present in rather small numbers for more than 50 years. It is restricted to southern FL.

Individuals of at least 3 other crocodilian species have been found in FL. These have been the smooth-fronted caiman, the black caiman, a Nile crocodile, and a croc that, despite DNA samples having been assessed, defies identification.

Florida’s native and established crocodilians: On all, the markings are usually most prominent when the animal is wet.

American alligator: hatchlings and juveniles are black with yellow crossbands. Adults are black. Snout broad and rounded. To 19 feet but usually 12 feet or less.

Spectacled caiman: hatchlings and juveniles are olive green, olive yellow, or olive brown with darker bands, Adults are usually dark olive gray, Snout moderately broad. A bony ridge across snout just anterior to eyes. To 8 feet but usually 6 feet or less.

American crocodile: hatchlings and juveniles are greenish gray with broken darker crossbands that are often most prominent dorsally. Adults are (usually dark) grayish green. Snout long, narrow, and tapering. To 15 feet but usually less than 12 feet.