Prowlers of the Everglades

Release Date: July 23, 1953

Watch Date: June 12, 2023

“Travel back in time as a primeval reptile stalks its prey in ‘the swamp that time forgot.’ Watch as the alligator, the unquestioned apex predator of the Everglades, follows its cycle of life much the same as it did in prehistoric times. Coy females lead fierce bulls into vicious mating battles, mothers struggle to keep their nests safe from scavenging egg thieves and baby alligators struggle to survive even the short trip from their nest to the dazzling and disorienting world beneath the surface of the water.”

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    I’m going to be honest with you all. I retained literally nothing about this film.

    Honestly, we spent more time debating about whether or not we felt the underwater scenes were filmed in a tank, or if they were actually filmed in the alligators’ habitat in Florida.

    We worried about the adorable baby alligators, because…well they are adorable and they make little squeaky noises. And we were taken aback by some baby birds that look like they should come out of a horror movie.

    But mostly…I think we laughed and joked and talked about our plans for the rest of the evening, and worried about an event that’s taking place in the next few days that neither of us particularly want to be involved in but that’s half the fun of being an adult.

    So maybe this was a good documentary, and maybe it wasn’t. I didn’t find it particularly attention grabbing, and I think that’s half the point of a documentary. It wasn’t so bad we could make fun of it, and it wasn’t so good that we could be impressed by another True-Life Adventure. It’s completely skippable, and we basically did so, even as we watched it.

    Also, if you’re wondering, because I did. Both crocodiles and alligators are found in Florida, with the main difference being that crocodiles are bigger with V shaped heads and are, apparently, more aggressive. I argue that, in the moment, if one was attacking you, you wouldn’t care how big it was, or the size of it’s head – and since neither animal has the decency to live in only one continent, the term alligator and crocodile should be used interchangeably, and is – by me.