Today was sunny and warm .... in fact we wore shorts. First time this trip. As it was such a nice day, we decided to visit the Alligator Farm Zoological Park. George Reddington and Felix Fire began collecting alligators on Anastasia Island and they founded the St. Augustine Alligator Farm at South Beach in 1893. In 1937 the farm was sold to W.I. Drysdale and F. Charles Usina who expanded the farm and it continued to evolve and became a key proponent of wildlife research and conservation.

Choosing the photos for today's blog was very difficult ---- there were 1478 photos to look through and I usually complain when there's over 300 photos to choose between.

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American Alligators outnumber all other animals at the Alligator Farm. The Alligator Lagoon is home to 42 American Alligators, the Alligator Swamp is home to over 200 American Alligators and there are nursery areas for the smaller Alligators. We bought some Alligator food and got some interest when we tossed it in the water.

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Not sure why this Alligator put his mouth around the other Alligator's nose but a couple of zoo keepers ran to see what was going on when Ed told them about it.

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The Alligators love laying on top of each other.

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Feeding time. The Alligators will jump out of the water to get a nice juicy rat. At this time of year, one rat will be enough food for one alligator for one week. In the wild an Alligator may not eat at all during the cooler weather.

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Alligators and turtles seem to get along. This is one of two Albino Alligators at the farm.

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One of the zoo keepers giving a talk at the Alligator Lagoon. It's hard to see but he has a stick in his hand --- his only defense.

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The St. Augustine Alligator Farm is now the only facility in the world exhibiting living specimens of all 23 currently recognized species of crocodilian. The Farm is active in research and propagation of endangered species. I believe this is an Indian Gharial Crocodile.

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A young Indian Gharial Crocodile being fed a mouse.

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A ninety year old female Galapagos Tortoise. These tortoises can live 150 to 200 years of age.

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Two fifty year old male Galapogos Tortoises having a chat.

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The smallest living monkey is the Pygmy Marmoset. It weighs only about one quarter of a pound.

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Geoffrey's Marmoset is a small squirrel-sized monkey.

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The Cape Griffon Vulture lives between 50 and 70 years, 40 to 46 inches long with a wing span of 8 to 8 1/2 feet.

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In the bird area there was a Cape Griffon Vulture nest with one egg in it. The vulture would sit on the egg for a while then would move off the nest for a while.

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The photo on the left is the Southern Cassowary. This bird is considered the most dangerous bird in the world, they can run up to 30 miles an hour, jump 5 feet in the air and kick lethally with their 5 inch long dagger-like inner claw. The photo on the right is Annie the Macaw.

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This is a Curl-crested Aracari. It is found in the south western section of the Amazon River.

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Carol found herself a new friend. We believe this is a young male Red-knobbed Hornbilled. When Carol spoke the bird would come to the side of the cage. The older male and female kept their distance.

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A lot of local birds nest in the Alligator Swamp, as the alligators keep predators at bay. This is a Roseate Spoonbill.

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The photo on the left is a Roseate Spoonbill. The photo on the right is a Tri-colored Heron fishing. He swooped down till his feet touched the water then put his beak down to snag a fish.

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A Snowy Egret looking for fish.

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A Yellow-crowned Night Heron and an Anhinga.

Anyone want to guess if Ed had fun today?