Last week’s Fauna Face-Off brought us a number of twists, turns, and unexpected jabs--and we hope this week’s event will be even better! The Orlando eco tour guides at Wild Florida gather around the ring as they wait for this week’s heavy hitters to enter the center ring. What’s this? With a rustling of the bushes, Gallant Panther, the Florida Advancer leaps onto the scene! Weighing in at 160 pounds and measuring 7 ft long, in the red corner, this panther is ready to take down any challenger in his way. And now, on the blue side of the ring, ‘Merica the Killer Croc lumbers in, weighing 450 lbs and measuring about 13 feet. The physical scales may be tipped in Croc’s favor, but who knows what tricks Gallant Panther has up his sleeves?
As a brief introduction to tonight’s challenge, the Florida Panther and the American Crocodile generally live separate lives, but tonight, it seems they’ve gotten too close for comfort. Both creatures are native to the Everglades and play important roles in its ecology; both species serve as bellwethers for the overall health of the region. Both tend to chow down on smaller land mammals of the Everglades region, and it looks like they’ve just had a dispute over their prey. Let’s take a look at the action.
The starting bell rings, and Gallant Panther is ready to spring into action, rejuvenated after a long nap. He pounces on ‘Merica, aiming for the back of his head, as is the typical target for Florida panthers. However, ‘Merica the croc uses his powerful tail in his defense, sweeping Gallant’s legs out from under him. There’s a cacophony of hisses and grunts as the two square off, neither one able to get in a good attack on the other. While panthers have been known to attack and kill American alligators in the Everglades, it seems the gator’s more aggressive crocodile cousin is a real match for Gallant.
Ding, ding! The second bell rings and these two prizefighters are still hard at it. Gallant continues to swipe and strike at ‘Merica, but the croc’s built-in armor deflects many of his blows. But what’s this? ‘Merica has pulled something into the ring to get Gallant’s attention, and it appears to be...a feather on a string? Yes, that’s right, ‘Merica is using his knowledge of Gallant’s classification as a small cat to use a common distraction tactic! As he dangles the feather over the open water, Gallant leaps and flails, soaking his brown hide. He’s in ‘Merica’s territory now, and it looks like this fight is all over, folks.
We’ve never seen moves like that before here in the Fauna Face-Off ring, but you never know what you’ll see on your next Orlando eco tour. Book your wildlife and airboat adventure by calling us at (866) 532-7167 today.
