Florida’s 10-day Python Challenge is underway as hunters take to the Everglades for glory, a $10,000 prize, and to help rid the state of its invasive Burmese python problem.
Wild Burmese pythons can pose some risk to humans, even those who aren’t purposefully pursuing them.
Traffic accidents involving large pythons crossing roads are one concern. A January 2023 report that compiled decades of python research also noted that there are potential risks, especially for children, coming into conflict with the monster constrictors at the edges of water.
For the general public, pythons are easy enough to avoid. They aren’t venomous, but they are killers and known to consume large alligators and deer, sometimes to explosive effects.
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They join many other animals in Florida — some native like the alligator, some invasive like the Burmese pythons — that pose risks to humans or can even kill you.
With a wide area of swamps, from the massive Everglades to major parks like Big Cypress Natural Preserve, to heavily wooded areas, to major lakes and canals, to the Atlantic coastline and Gulf of Mexico, Florida is a natural habitat for many creatures.
Some are cute, like key deer and North American river otters. Others are postcard-perfect, like flamingos and manatees.
But some can be deadly.
Here are just a few of them.
Alligators
What’s a list of Florida’s deadliest creatures without alligators? These ancient monsters can certainly kill you and there have been many stories of serious injuries. Now they normally won’t attack you if you aren’t invading their territory …. then again, Florida is pretty much their territory.
One notable and tragic death occurred in 2016 at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa where a 2-year-old from Nebraska was snatched from the shore of a lake by a gator.
Crocodiles
Yes, Florida has crocs as well as gators. But these guys, which normally are bigger than gators, are shy and reclusive and live mainly along the very southern reaches of the Florida coast in brackish or saltwater areas. These aren’t the huge crocs you see on YouTube grabbing a water buffalo in Africa but you also wouldn’t want to meet one in a dark, brackish, saltwater alley.
Sharks
Sharks get a bad rap (Thank you Peter Benchley) but truth is most shark bites don’t kill people. Experts believe sharks have no taste for human flesh; they just confuse us with fish, and usually let go when they get a taste. While most sharks off Florida’s coast aren’t big (spinners and black tips), some bigger sharks like hammerheads, bulls and tigers do get close to shore at times. Is it safe to go in the water? The odds are in your favor.
Most shark bites in Florida are not deadly. However, there was an unfortunate 2010 attack where a 38-year-old Stuart man who was kitesurfing suffered multiple shark bites and died from his injuries. In 2023, Florida had the most unprovoked shark attacks in the U.S., accounting for 16 of the 36 cases in the country.
Snakes
Of the 44 species of snakes in Florida, only six are venomous, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Those would be different species of cottonmouths and rattlesnakes and the small and colorful eastern coral snake, which happens to look very similar to the non-venomous king snake. If you’re a Floridian you know the rhyme to differentiate between a king and coral snake which is which: “Red meets black, friend of Jack; red meets yellow, deadly fellow.”
Anacondas, non-native constrictors like the python, also live in Florida, though there have been relatively few sightings: mostly around central and north central Florida, according to the FWC.
Panthers
The biggest cats in Florida, they are 5 to 7 feet long and can weigh between 60 to 160 pounds. They live primarily south of Orlando and are endangered. But these felines aren’t like lions on the savanna or tigers in the jungle. In fact, there’s been only one instance of a likely panther attack in Florida; In 2014, a hunter said he was attacked. Because he was wearing multiple layers, he wasn’t seriously injured.
Coyotes
These predators can live surprisingly close to dense population areas and they are related to wolves, but they’re much smaller (18 to 44 pounds). They’ll avoid humans at all costs, but small pets? While not part of their normal diet, they could become lunch for a coyote.
Bobcats
They’re actually more ubiquitous in Florida than you’d think. They’re not known to attack humans but it has happened. An elderly couple in Fort Lauderdale was attacked supposedly by a bobcat a few years ago, though they suffered minor injuries; bobcats, after all, aren’t that big (between 25 and 35 pounds). They’re actually common around urban apartment complexes because trash in outside receptacles attracts rats and other rodents, which bobcats love to eat.
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Bears
There are black bears all over Florida, but most live in the Panhandle, parts of north Florida, parts of central and the southwest. And they tend to be hard to catch sight of. While it’s never smart to agitate any wildlife, we’re lucky in that we likely have the least aggressive of the major bear species. But what should you do if you encounter a bear? Another rhyme to help you decide: “If it’s black, fight back; if it’s brown lay down (and play dead); if it’s polar, forget it, it’s over.” So no polar bears. At least we have that going for us, which is nice.
Do you live near bears? Use this interactive map, provided by the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Spiders
Florida has all kinds, but bites aren’t life-threatening, unless it’s from the Black Widow, the most venomous spider in North America.
Lizards
Florida’s tropical climate is perfect for lizards, but none of our native or invasive lizards are venomous or big enough to seriously hurt you. But if you’re new to the area, you may be surprised at the size of some of them: like iguanas, anoles, Argentine black and white tegus, nile monitors and Peter’s rock agama lizards.
Toads
The cane toad, also known as the bufo, giant or marine toad, is a big invasive amphibian that are poisonous to most animals that try to bite or eat them.
Jellyfish
Their sting will get your attention. Some people can develop mild rashes; some who suffer extreme allergic reactions can even die. Just stay away from them, whether in the water or if you see them washed on the beach because those stingers could still be working.
Portuguese man-of-war
Portuguese man-of-war, so named for the battleship-shaped balloon that keeps them buoyant, have tentacles stacked with coiled, barbed tubes of venom that stream out as far as 100 feet from the man-of-war’s gas-filled sail. They can pack a sting that can swell lymph nodes, cause nausea, leave lines of red welts from their tentacles and cause trouble breathing.
Although often confused with a jellyfish, the man-of-war is actually a siphonophore, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A siphonophore is comprised of different organisms with various functions all working together as one.
Mosquitoes
Florida has a lot of species of mosquitoes, and many can transmit diseases that can be life-threatening.
Mosquitoes can spread diseases such West Nile virus, dengue, or malaria.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call mosquitoes the world’s deadliest animal because each year they kill more people than any other creature.
Kimberly Miller is a veteran journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers weather, climate and the environment and has a certificate in Weather Forecasting from Penn State. Contact Kim by email at at [email protected] or on Twitter at @KmillerWeather.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Snakes, alligators, sharks, pythons: Florida’s most dangerous animals
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