There was a little girl on the tour in the Everglades with us, who when asked what she most wanted to see, it was manatees first and alligators second. Sadly we saw no manatees. It was too early in the season. But, alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) are kind of the quintessential Florida wildlife experience. They only disappointed in their size and number. Most that I saw were five or six feet long – no mighty behemoths – and there really weren’t that many of them either.

Never-the-less, in terms of antediluvian and prehistoric terror they really don’t disappoint. While you mostly see them lying about in the sun, you immediately recognize there ability to eat whatever they want. As I said, they are basically a giant muscle with teeth. And you really cannot resist anthropomorphizing them into something sinister and evil, which, of course, they are not. Just stay out of the water.

I took several alligator photographs in Florida on this trip. I chose this one because it shows the beast lurking in among the swamp weeds. It reminds me of the movie Jurassic Park and it seems to speak of an earlier age of reptiles, where you might find a velociraptor or T-Rex hunting, and then you realize that you are dinner, especially if you’re a lawyer.