We've heard your questions using #AskTheExpert about airboat rides, so we're back again and eager to answer them!
Let's get started...
Caroline on Twitter asked, How can you tell the difference between a crocodile and an alligator?
Alligators prefer freshwater, like Lake Cypress, where we run our airboat rides, while crocodiles tend to live in saltwater. When comparing them physically, alligators have a wider, U-shaped snout, while crocodiles have more of a pointy, V-shaped snout.
Lastly, their smiles say it all! Alligators' upper jaws are wider than their lower jaws, and because of this, the teeth in the lower jaw are hidden when their mouth closes. Crocodiles are said to always look like they’re smiling due to their upper and lower jaws being the same width. This causes the fourth tooth on each side of the lower jaw to show when the mouth is closed.
Related blog: Where Can I See a Florida Gator When Riding an Airboat?
Michelle on Instagram asked, Do the airboat rides disrupt or hurt the wildlife?
You are not the first to ask this, Michelle; in fact, many of our guests ask questions about the airboats daily! Although they are very loud, because they have no in-water propellers, our airboat rides are safe around the wildlife. In fact, most alligators, birds, and other wildlife living in Lake Cypress aren’t bothered by the noise and come pretty close to our airboats.
Mark on Facebook asked, What is one of the slowest moving land animals?
Their names say it all… the sloth! Sharing a name with one of the seven deadly sins, the term “sloth” refers to laziness or sluggishness. The slowest-moving mammal in the world is the three-toed sloth, but here at Wild Florida, you can meet the cutest two-toed sloths. These slow pokes rarely move, but when they do, it’s only about 2 meters (6.5 ft.) per minute! They spend nearly all their time hanging from branches and sleeping up to 20 hours each day! In the wild, sloths move so slowly that even algae are able to grow on the outer layer of their skin.
Related blog: 6 things that could happen during your sloth encounter at Wild Florida
We hope to hear more of your questions and see you here at Wild Florida soon for an airboat ride or a visit to our Gator Park. Did you know your admission to the Gator Park is free with any animal encounter, Drive-thru Safari Park adventure, or airboat tour? It means the fun just keeps coming when you visit Wild Florida!
We hope to hear more of your questions and see you here at Wild Florida soon!
If you have a Wild Florida or animal-related question you'd like to see answered in our next #AskTheExpert blog post, just leave it in the comments below or get with us on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter.
