It's not unusual to see these guys around - this is Florida, after all - but it's not as common to see them right off of our dock. Thank goodness!
The Boy has seen this little guy hanging around quite a bit the past few days, which concerns me a bit.
He seems much too relaxed...even if he is only about 3-4 feet long.
Just a bit of perspective as to how small this little guy is. He's not really a threat to anyone. Yet.
The Boy has named him Stan. He calls him "Stan the man."
Why? I have no idea. There is also a stingray that lives off our dock that The Boy catches regularly each summer and which he has named Bob. He knows that it is the same one because someone, at some point in time, cut off his tail. I know, I know...poor Bob.
Anyway, the point is that The Boy likes to name things and he has named the little 'gator Stan.
Even though Stan isn't much of a threat, I still don't like seeing these fellows hanging around our dock.
The Boy tossed some pebbles at him to try to scare him away. Stan wasn't scared. In fact, Stan swam towards the splashes the pebbles made.
We're afraid that some idiot person may have been feeding him.
This is not good. When humans feed alligators, the 'gators lose their natural, instinctive fear of humans. They become more aggressive. It's dangerous for humans and the 'gators. We will probably have to make a nuisance 'gator complaint to Florida Fish and Wildlife. They will come out and trap it and relocate it - as long as the animal is less than 4 feet in length.
Stan is 3-4 feet long.
If the 'gator is bigger than that, it is killed.
Thankfully, when we saw this guy about an hour later, a 6-7 foot alligator...he swam on by and didn't linger.
Meanwhile, Stan is still hanging out by our dock.
*Sigh*
