Photo 365 - On Assignment - February (Small Things)
Juvenile American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
Went out to Shark Valley this afternoon. Weather and lighting looked great as I left my house around 2:30, was really pumped. As I got closer to Shark Valley, read when I was driving past the casino, it started getting very cloudy - boo lack of light. As I got near the park entrance I noticed another problem, cars were parked on the side of the street for about mile leading up to the park. Damn you cooler weather!! *shaking fist at sky* Parking Lot Full signs added to my dread. Fortunately when I pulled in most people were on their way out and I was able to park in the lot, not a mile down the road. The lighting was ok, nothing special. The animals on the other hand were awesome. Gators were laying out all over the place, including the babies as is obvious above. This little guy was just chilling on two stumps, one of his little buddies was laying just in front him. Momma gator was laying on the opposite bank so I wasn't to worried about getting close to this guy. He was kind enough to even open his eyes for me, a nice touch.
Shot on Canon Rebel T1i at f/10, 1/200 sec, 250mm, ISO 800
