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After the chill of the evening wears off, a number of cold-blooded animals climb out of the water to warm themselves in the sun. Alligators tend to favor land or vegetation mats, turtles tend to climb up on logs that stick out of the water. In both cases, the chosen location is a good one in case a quick escape is needed.
This little guy — a Suwannee River Cooter, I believe — is actually only a few inches long, perhaps 5″ at most. I slowly nudged my kayak toward his carefully chosen log and snapped a few frames at 210mm.
Why “Grouch?”
This was the look he gave me just before grudgingly dropping into the cold water.
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Ha. I love that look he’s giving you. Like, “really, man, you’re killing my buzz.”
Yeah, Jenny… He seemed decidedly unpleased. I really hate startling them into the water (some are just too jumpy anyway) but I really wanted to get this shot.
Perfect name for this little guy. Great capture.