I heard this young Alligator chirping at the edge of a duckweed covered pond. I’ve seen juveniles in this area off and on over the summer and suspect they are now around six months old and about 2 feet (60 cm) long.

From there he headed out into the pond, using his full body and tail to propel forward. I didn’t hear any more chirping and didn’t see any siblings. Or mama.

Then he made a 90 degree turn.

Finally he straightened out and headed for the other side of the pond, leaving a squiggly trail in the thick duckweed behind him.