The Lazy Gator
Earlier this week a young alligator was floating around in the salt marsh and I was surprised to see him not wildly sloshing after the fish like they normally do. This one just seemed to be taking it easy, gliding in and around the dried reeds and enjoying a relaxing swim. He did make a few minor grabs at some fish and swallowed a bunch at one point but I knew what he was doing, he was employing the lazy gator method of fishing. He would lay there with the bottom portion of his mouth open under the water and if some poor unfortunate fish happened to swim in well… that was fine, but this boy was not going to put a lot of effort into it at all.
Phil Lanoue Photography 
Maybe he was ill, nice shot!
He was just taking it easy, they do that a lot. 🙂 Thanks for looking!
The second shot is the “I am up to no good” look.
As far as the fish and crabs were concerned, this boy was definitely up to no good. Thanks for checking these out Paula.
Un alligatore pigrone ahaha
Bellissime le foto 🙂
Ciao, Pat
Era pigro. Grazie per guardare queste foto Pat si 😀
I think he was just shamming, and was actually very alert. Great pics, Phil. He is so giving you the evil eye. 🙂
That is quite possibly indeed the case Sylvia! These guys are very good at laying around but also very good at decoying their intentions. Is he too lazy to jump you? You have to get close to find out. 🙂
Obviously not pilot fish friendly. 🙂
His plan was not to be friendly to any fish that may be unfortunate enough to be in the area. 🙂
Whatever works. There is a fine line between lazy and efficient.
Excellent point. I’m going with efficient. Why risk antagonizing him by calling him lazy?!
Have to agree with Lyle.
Yes, it is a very good point. 🙂
I have heard that alligators are “opportunists” where eating is involved.. This one seems to be living up to that.
Oh that is 100% true Becky. An alligator could be dozing with no intention of hunting for a meal, but some poor bird or animal walks across his nose and he wakes up very quickly! 😯 🙂
The third photo has a little bit of ostrich (head stuck in the sand in order not to be seen). Don’t you think?
He really looks very lazy! 😛
I was surprised how long he went without making a big effort to catch food. Lazy, or smart? I don’t know. 🙂
You can really tell the difference between the younger ones, and the fully-grown ones (like Mr. A). This guy is almost “soft” looking! He looks like he’s learning how to get by without having to work too hard. 😉
Yes you can indeed see many differences between the youngsters and the grizzled veterans. This guy may not have been paying enough attention to his mom when she was having Feeding Lesson Day. But… he did get this far so he must be doing something right. 🙂
The next to last photo is excellent. He looks very creepy there.
He has been working on that look and I think he really has it down. 🙂 Thanks Jeff.
My apologies, I am new to using the “reader” just saw the first image, missed your series of shots. They are fantastic! I love the frontal shot!
I appreciate you looking and commenting Sheila, thanks!
I loved no. 4 especially! Seems a great way to get a meal without expending too much energy!
Oh these guys are experts at not expending too much energy. Sort of like me in a way Maggie. 😀
I enjoy taking things easy.
He was so well camouflaged I can see why they’re such good hunters albeit lazy ones
This one was particularly lazy. I have seen others work hard non stop for hours, but not this guy. Not his style apparently.
No, no, you are WAY too close ! Especially that one but last shot : it’s almost hypnotic.
Well I am thrilled that you enjoyed these photos and this guy was pretty much just ignoring me. 🙂