everglades

no trip to fort lauderdale is complete without a journey into the everglades! we went to a different park this time, one in the heart of the glades, on an indian reservation. we took a big water buggy truck thing through various terrain and saw a lot of different kinds of animals.

they also had a little zoo like area to see animals up close.

these turtles were climbing on each other. they were really big!

we saw part of a bird show after the buggy ride. this is actually a red tailed hawk who is so old he has lost the pigment in his feathers! they also had turkey vultures and a few others in the show.

everyone touching a big 10 foot boa constrictor.

these gators were just lounging in the sun. pretty much all they do on hot days.

jonny wanted to write down all the animals we saw. but i think he got sidetracked half way through.

these little warthogs were everywhere! the guide said that it's legal to hunt them on your land, since they have about a dozen babies every few months for each pair!

this ostrich came a little too close to the buggy for my comfort, but i got a picture to prove it!

these are buffalo, and now i can't remember if they are african or american, since they had both. i think they are american looking at their tusks.

i think these are the african buffalo.

daddy and jessy getting ready to go! the buggies didn't have any breakes! it was a little concerning at first, but once we were out of the parking lot, i understood why. we drove through 3 feet of water!