Video: This way to the hungry alligators and panther in heat

Is it the slime? The bugs? The thrill of confronting a scaly beast with way more teeth than you? Whatever it is, something about jungles and swamps fascinates people from elsewhere. Especially if alligators are involved.

This video has hungry alligators and a panther in heat.

The Jungle Adventures Nature Animal Park, where I shot this footage, is in the unincorporated community of Christmas, Fla., near Port Canaveral, where many cruise ships call. I was among a busload of tourists who left our fancy cruise ship to commune with the gators and their neighbors.

“A Minute Away” is a video series in which nothing much happens -- except you see the world, and hear it, and get a respite from workaday life. We’ve covered Machu Picchu, Red Square, the Yucatan, the Alamo, an Alaskan float plane and the reading room of the New York Public Library, among other places. Since early 2013, we’ve been adding a new minute every week (and some of those “minutes” are actually closer to 120 seconds. So if you’d prefer 100 minutes away, we’ve got more than enough here for you…