A Good Gator

In my opinion, a good gator is a motionless gator. I always try to keep my distance from an alligator, especially one that is watching me, because I have seen how lightening fast they move, when they bolt. This gator was floating in the fresh water of the Everglades. You can see its leg dangling in the water.

Alligator floating with legs dangling in Shark Valley, Everglades National Park. He seemed to be watching me while I photographed him with a zoom lens from at least 15 feet away. Thankfully, it did not feel threatened or make a move toward me.

A Lizard’s Camouflage

I was attracted to the silhouette of this lizard along the lake and moved in slowly, hoping he wouldn’t dash away before I got the shot. As I examined the photograph later, I discovered the lizard was mostly green, and brown in the tail. I’m guessing now that the lizard had turned green while sitting in the grass, and was in the process of changing to brown to match the rock where it was now sitting.

This large lizard, over a foot long, appears to be changing color from green to brown, starting with its tail. Did you know that this magical quality of lizards inspired the use of “camouflage” uniforms for the military?