Crocodile coming up out of the water

Here is a different reptile than the calm, harmless iguanas that I have shown several times during the last month. Unlike the iguana who was very close to me in the photo I showed yesterday, or the series of the iguana at the Tamarindo airport that I showed several weeks ago, here is a crocodile that you would not want to encounter in the wild, except from the safety of a boat.

Yes, this crocodile is in the wild. I was in a boat, no more than 4 or 5 feet away (less than 2 meters). He was expecting the wildlife tour boat operator to throw out some food, so he came up out of the water to get a look and to be positioned to chomp on the food.

It is common to see crocodiles on wildlife boat excursions in Palo Verde National Park. Usually, however, they are lurking just below the surface of the water with just their eyes and nose visible or lying in the mud on the river bank. It is very unusual to see the head of a crocodile angling all the way out of the water.

This week on our Viva la Voyage travel photo website we are showing photos of Peru, particularly Machu Picchu, one of the wonders of the world.