Just before Covid, I visited the Big Cypress National Preserve. I grow up in Naples FL, about 30 miles from this location. I had no interest in swamps at the time. Now I am fascinated by them.
Image was made on the Monroe Station trail at mile marker 15. There was a drought at the time with very little water in the preserve. If you look closely you will see American Alligators and American Crocodiles coexisting in this image. South Florida is the only place in the world where this happens.
B&W works well here in my opinion, it has an ominous look, both the gators, crocks and the dark entrance areas going into the woods.
I like it as is.
I didn’t know about gators and crocks co-existing like this, I’ve seen quite a few of each during my visits to La. and Fl. but I still don’t really know much about them other than to look around carefully before letting the dogs out to have a walk.
Whoa, this image is indeed made more ominous by choosing black and white. The flow of alligators/crocodiles draws the eye further into and around the image. Fascinating subject - especially since they are coexisting in place.
@Allen_Sparks@Merv@Pamela_Sherlock Thanks, Guys.
Gators and Crocks are very territorial and usually want to have their own space.
But during the drought with very little water, they coexist for survival. This was the only water in the area.
Wow, Steve! What an amazing sighting and I really like the composition and your choice of black and white for your image. I had no idea that crocodiles were in North America. For some reason I thought only Alligators lived here and Crocs were in other countries. I probably just misunderstood different nature shows and books. It’s really neat seeing the differences between them side by side like that. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks all
More info can be found at the link below
Do alligators and crocodiles exist together anywhere in the world?
The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) lives in several places within the Americas, including Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and south Florida. The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is also found in south Florida, among other places. South Florida is the only place you can find both animals in the wild. To distinguish the two, alligators have a more U-shaped snout while crocodiles have a more pointed or V-shaped one. In addition, alligators are black, while crocodiles are usually a lighter grayish brown.
