Alligator Photos!
Everglades National Park - Shark Valley
January 6, 2007
Alligators. Large lizards with pointy teeth. The Everglades is them, and they are the Everglades. No other animal is tied to the Everglades more than the Florida Alligator. I did not see too many of them on this ride, because it was a bright sunny warm day. Most of the gators were off in the swamp doing their thing. On cold days the gators flock to the dry land near the bike path to soak up the rays. On warm days they soak up rays in the morning then hit the water. I estimate I only saw 20 - 30 gators on the ride. On a thick gator day I will see well over one hundred.
This is Wally Gator. He lives in the swamp. I think there used to be a cartoon show made about him. As you can see, in real live Wally walks on all fours and does not wear a tie. Or a hat. But he does live in the swamp.
This is Wadsworth Gator. He does not like his name very much. All the other gators make fun of him. In alligator Jr. High he got a lot of wedgies. But that was then. Make fun of his name now at your own risk. Did I mention the pointy alligator teeth and powerful jaws?
Meet Waldo Gator. As you can see, he is a young gator. He still has most of his baby alligator coloring. The stripes help him hide in the swamp grass better, so as to not get eaten. Once he is full size, it would not matter if he were hot pink or lime green. Nothing could bother him. Adult gators have their solid dark green color so they can blend in with the water they hunt in. Seeing a young gator is not as common as seeing an adult, the little ones are usually more skittish of humans and they are harder to spot in the grass.
This is Willis Gator. if you ask him what he is talking about, he WILL attack you. He hates that. As you can see, he was just hanging out by the bike path, waiting for a tourist to get just a little too close.
This is a close up of Willis, taken using the digital zoom on the camera. Willis seems to be somewhat calm and happy in this picture, but you never know. He may have been plotting the reptilian revolution for all I know. Lizards of the world - UNITE! Form a union. Then ask for weekends off and a 401k program.