Alligator

It would be strange to go to Florida and not see at least one alligator. One day I saw a small one sitting in someone's back yard (about 20 feet from their house) on the bank of a pond. I estimate it was close to four feet long. (120 cm).

As usual, I took a long shot, moved a little closer, shot again, moved closer and took another series of photos, and continued until the alligator jumped into the water and swam away. It was a good thing it jumped away - and not towards me - you wouldn't believe how quickly it moved.

Because I was shooting into the bright morning sun, there are harsh shadows on the alligator that I find distracting. However, the photos are useful to show you how alligators have adapted to living near people. I saw 3 different alligators in 3 different "ponds" and they were all around the same size. A couple of people told me they had seen a "ten footer", but I didn't see one that big on this trip.

If you want to see other photos of bigger alligators, let me know and I'll send out a few from another year.