posted by Jessica Lynette on Family

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Last week we went on a nature hike with some friends and happened to spot an alligator – with our Canadian visitors here this week we were excited to take them back to the same spot to see if we could spot any more alligators, as alligators in the wild aren’t exactly something you’d see up north! (And they aren’t something we’ve seen much of either even living in the south!)

We first found this friendly little duck – who let the boys get entirely too close for comfort. Wesley is our fearless child and I am certain would have had a finger or two nibbled at had Paul not stepped in!
And we spotted oodles of turtles. I think they must be accustomed to people feeding them as they all swam around beneath the deck we were standing on. (We, however, did not feed any animals! Signs request that you not feed them to help keep the alligators from becoming comfortable enough to approach human beings.)
We were just about to head back to the car when we found one lone alligator! It was rather exciting to watch this powerful animal glide effortlessly through the water.  The alligator alternated between his body being on the surface of the water or it being under the water and between swimming and observing his surroundings. We spent a good twenty minutes watching him – and then made a mad dash for our car to avoid the rain storm that rapidly moved in.
This alligator was about 5 feet in length, but we’ve read – and heard! – stories about 8 feet alligators being spotted in this area! A zoom lens was a useful tool to have while shooting these images of the alligator!

Tags: activity, family