Photos I've Taken of Alligators

From oldest to newest, here are some photos I've taken of American Alligators in Florida! The majority of these have been taken on my campus, but one was taken on a nearby nature trail.

[Since these are all photos of alligators, I will not be applying image descriptions on this post as it'd be quite redundant.]

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This is a photo I took at a nearby nature trail. You can see that there's also a decently sized turtle  sharing a log with this one!

This is one I took on the edge of campus as I was biking to the Food Forest. This big guy was pretty close to the road! I believe they were sunning themselves.

This one was near the freshman dorms, next to the bridge that leads to the loop. Again, pretty sure this chill guy was just sunning themselves.

These were taken quite recently, near the area on campus where most of the restaurants are. I was trying to eat my lunch when I saw them swimming through the water. Unlike the others- this one was far more active, and actually let out a growl! Pretty haunting. The second photo shows just how active they were- there was a point where like half of their body was sticking out of the water. Very cool encounter, and goes to show just how ferocious these gators appear.

These final four were taken yesterday near the freshmen dining hall! There's a lake where this one lives, nestled in the middle of all the dorms. Although the last two are less artistic, they serve as an awesome demonstration of the anatomy of an American Alligator. Surprisingly enough, I'd say this one is on the smaller side. I'd estimate around 6 feet long. I especially like the view of the last photo, where you can see just how thick their hind legs are. Gators are surprisingly fast on land!

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I hope some of y'all can appreciate these photos. I have a bunch more nature photos I'd like to share! I don't specifically go out looking for alligators, despite what these photos may imply. Just for reference, these things are DANGEROUS. Do NOT approach an alligator if you see one. They're wicked fast, both in water and on land, and WILL tear you apart if they have the desire to. If you leave them alone, however, chances are they won't care about you one bit.