Saturday, January 30, 2010

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.

16 comments:

Paty said...

oh my god that´s scary!

Lowell said...

I don't much like alligators, but I really don't like crocs. We have a few here in Florida and like you say, it's best to stay far away from them!

This guy must be hungry to get his head way out there!

brattcat said...

You just seem to have the good fortune of catching these animals doing anomalous things. I'm so glad. You've show us so much wild life that I would never in my life have seen otherwise.

Ineke said...

wow, what a shot!

Julie ScottsdaleDailyPhoto.com said...

Yikes!

Leif Hagen said...

Yikes! Step back!

glenda said...

This is pretty scary looking.

Bob Crowe said...

Crocodile and alligator eyes are too spooky for me. I remember once going out in an airboat at night in an alligator-infested part of The Everglades. The boat had a spotlight that skimmed the water, lighting up dozens of pairs of yellow-orange peepers. I prefer to keep my distance.

Stefan Jansson said...

Oh no, I will probably have a nightmare about this tonight!

Judy said...

Yikes! This is a fantastic picture. It could be a postcard, but you were closer than I would have wanted to be! I guess you have to be brave to capture shots like this one. Well done!

Sharon said...

My what big teeth he has!

Anonymous said...

Deepest respect upon your nerves to take that amazing picture.

Please have you all a wonderful Sunday.

magiceye said...

amazing capture!

Three Rivers, Michigan said...

AAAH! I wouldn't be feeding him, if I was me. Like petting a grizzly bear.

Great shot!

Gerald (SK14) said...

I don't think I would want to get that close.

Lois said...

Look at all those teeth! This is a fabulously frightening picture.

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