mediafreak
07-30-03, 09:40 PM
BC-fbc-florida-gators
It’s a Croc: Florida Football Guide Misses the Mark on Gators By Pete Coates
c.2003 Bloomberg News
July 30 (Bloomberg) -- Reptile lovers can tell the animal on the cover of the University of Florida football media guide is a croc.
For a school whose sports teams are nicknamed the Gators, having a picture of a crocodile on the guide instead of an alligator is a little embarrassing.
“Trust me, everyone in our office knows the difference between a crocodile and an alligator now,” said school spokeswoman Mary Howard.
Howard said the university in Gainesville, Florida, hired a local company to supply a photograph of an alligator for the cover. Instead, the school received a photo of a crocodile, which has a lighter color and narrower snout than an alligator.
Even the teeth, which are prominently displayed on the cover, are arranged differently.
“It’s not hard to tell them apart,” said Henry Cabbage, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Nobody spotted the mistake before the media guide was printed with a cover showing a crocodile with its mouth open below a picture of coach Ron Zook leading his team onto the field. After a fan noticed the error and called the school, it set off a wave of publicity and some snickering among reptile experts known as herpetologists.
With about 1.5 million alligators in Florida, Cabbage said state residents may be getting too comfortable with the large creatures. Last month, a 12-year-old boy was killed by an alligator while swimming in a river in Tavares, Florida.
“Some people almost adopt them,” Cabbage said in a telephone interview. “They give them names like ’Old Joe’ and feed them hot dogs and marshmallows. That’s not a good idea for an 800-pound animal with a brain the size of your thumb.”
It’s a Croc: Florida Football Guide Misses the Mark on Gators By Pete Coates
c.2003 Bloomberg News
July 30 (Bloomberg) -- Reptile lovers can tell the animal on the cover of the University of Florida football media guide is a croc.
For a school whose sports teams are nicknamed the Gators, having a picture of a crocodile on the guide instead of an alligator is a little embarrassing.
“Trust me, everyone in our office knows the difference between a crocodile and an alligator now,” said school spokeswoman Mary Howard.
Howard said the university in Gainesville, Florida, hired a local company to supply a photograph of an alligator for the cover. Instead, the school received a photo of a crocodile, which has a lighter color and narrower snout than an alligator.
Even the teeth, which are prominently displayed on the cover, are arranged differently.
“It’s not hard to tell them apart,” said Henry Cabbage, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Nobody spotted the mistake before the media guide was printed with a cover showing a crocodile with its mouth open below a picture of coach Ron Zook leading his team onto the field. After a fan noticed the error and called the school, it set off a wave of publicity and some snickering among reptile experts known as herpetologists.
With about 1.5 million alligators in Florida, Cabbage said state residents may be getting too comfortable with the large creatures. Last month, a 12-year-old boy was killed by an alligator while swimming in a river in Tavares, Florida.
“Some people almost adopt them,” Cabbage said in a telephone interview. “They give them names like ’Old Joe’ and feed them hot dogs and marshmallows. That’s not a good idea for an 800-pound animal with a brain the size of your thumb.”