Alligators are large reptiles, growing up to 15 feet long and weighing sometimes as much as 500 pounds. On land they are awkward and slow, but in the water they are agile swimmers. Alligators eat almost anything that walks, flies or swims within their reach.

The rafts in the middle of Gator Lake at the Slough provide resting places for wildlife like the alligator in this picture. This gator is basking in the sun to warm himself up.