No Foot, No Tail, No Problem

Occurred on May 20, 2023 / Lakeland, Florida, USA

: "I was riding my bike around Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida when an alligator crawled out just as I was passing by, barely a foot away from my front tire. We spooked each other, so I quickly rolled back 20 feet and patiently waited for it to come back out and bask in the morning sun. Little did I know it was missing a foot and, surprisingly, half of its tail. It must have been in a fight to the death, and my imagination tells me that if an alligator of this size walks away from a fight with these kinds of wounds, it must have won. As a wildlife photographer, I often witness interesting things out in the field."