Mr. A’s BIG Dinner

Last week we were watching our pal Mr. A feeding in the salt marsh right around low tide. He likes to go there at that time because he can easily plunder a shallow pool of water which is stuffed with landlocked fish and crabs. Normally he is content to scoop up mouthfuls of the smaller fish that are jumping all over, but on this night Mr. A scored himself an entrée sized fish. This poor fish had the misfortune to not be paying attention as the tide was going out so instead of swimming along in the marsh, it ended up on the night’s menu. 

Alligator With Large Fish

Alligator With Large Fish

Alligator With Large Fish

Alligator With Large Fish

Alligator With Large Fish

60 thoughts on “Mr. A’s BIG Dinner”

  3. I’m with Edith on this one, Phil. Normally fish don’t seem to have much of an expression, but that is a particularly horror filled expression in frame 3 with they eye bugged out like that. I guess it doesn’t bother Mr. A if his meal has an eye looking like that. I could never eat anything with an eye…even an egg. 😮
    Well, having said it is a scary sight (Nature is not all Disney characters is it?), this is also a collection of great alligator feeding behavior images. Well done, Phil.

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    • Steve trust me, I totally spared y’all the really gory ones. The scene with the fish was ten times worse then what I’ve shown here. I debated putting the eyeball shot in but you would have nightmares with images I have on file that I decided not to post. But in any case I’m glad you appreciate seeing nature in action.

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      • It would take more than that for me to have nightmares, Phil. I might pass on a tuna sandwich for a while though. 🙂 I am sure it got pretty gory having seen animals eat their prey a couple of times. Seeing a frog slowwwwwly disappear into a snake is not much fun either.

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    • Judy, you should ( or maybe you shouldn’t 😯 ) see the ones I decided not to post. I don’t want to give anyone nightmares but it was a whole lot worse then what I’ve posted here. Thanks for looking though.

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      • Yeah, doesn’t surprise me that you don’t have some gorier ones!! Wise decision probably!! We know nature is red in tooth and claw but being academic is sometimes preferred to being an eye witness. I felt that way the time I saw a blue heron chick nearly kill its nestling brother in its manic panic to get food first. I preferred to think of the nestlings as brotherly.

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  5. The fish doesn’t look very happy! With a spoony he still would have had a fair chance. Not with Mr. A! 😛

    Your photos are again really great! ▲

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    • I’ve come to the same conclusion. I will often see an alligator remain motionless for quite a while and I don’t think it is so much looking for fish or a crab but feeling for one. Because suddenly they will lunge out and could be they detected movement of the prey by feel. Plus the water is usually quite muddy after the big guy has been sloshing around in it for a while so visibility can’t be great.

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  20. He looks like “Oh BOY”. Happy. Nice catch for him, and deftly handled (love the series, which shows same!). Really like his eye in the last shot. Says it all.

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  21. These pictures hold an awful fascination, Phil! I didn’t want to look but couldn’t help myself! Poor fish! However, as Lucy’s daughter, Thea, says to me in her pragmatic, ten-year-old way, “But Granny, it’s the food chain!” I guess she’s more sensible than me!

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