Every time we travel to Florida, the second we get in our rental car, I start looking for alligators in every ditch. I can’t help it; I’m a Canadian and it’s so amazing to me that they exist in the numbers that they do in Florida, right on the side of the road! I think alligators are really interesting, so it’s odd that we have NEVER visited Gatorland in all the years we have been visiting Florida. I’m so glad we finally did!
When we first arrived at Gatorland, our tour guide Donnie showed us a baby alligator.
It was so adorable!
You could almost forget that it was a wild animal, but Donnie quickly reminded us that these animals are indeed wild and would try to bit you, as the alligator struggled to be free of his hold.
There are gators of all ages at Gatorland because they breed them and rescue nuisance alligators that would otherwise be killed for their meat or skin. We saw more alligators in one spot than I’ve ever seen in my life.
They seemed pretty lazy…
But watch out! They’re just fooling you! On our tour we got to go into a cage with an extremely large leucistic alligator and another large male alligator.
You might think we’re crazy!
But we trusted our guide! Donnie taught us a lot about these resident leucistic alligators, which are even more rare than albinos! Leucism is a reduction of multiple types of pigment in animals, not just melanin as in albinism.
Donnie showed us how strong their jaws are and how fast they can close them!
Check out our video of an alligator biting!
You can get that close to an alligator too if you take the Trainer for a Day tour. If you’re that brave you should also check out the Screamin Gator Zip Line. It consists of 5 zip lines that travel at speeds of over 30 miles per hour, past vultures and over alligator ponds.
This zip line was FAST!
But don’t worry, it’s very safe and the guides make it a hilarious journey.
There is so much else to see at Gatorland including poisonous snakes and a bird aviary. If you’re planning on doing the Screamin Gator Zip Lines I recommend spending a whole day there. We will definitely return to visit our friend Donnie and see more of Gatorland the next time we’re in Florida!
Disclosure: I was given free passes to tour Gatorland and ride the zip lines in order to write this review, however all opinions are my own.
Wow! You are brave.