Like the tortoise who won the race, I land in the Zapata Swamp, the last refuge of the Cuban crocodile.
This mangrove swamp is teeming with plant life, algae and jellyfish.
I don't think I'll be diving here, especially
since some of the swamp's inhabitants don't like intruders very much.
With those eyes like saucers, this fish looks innocent... but it's not.
It's an alligator gar, a very rare, strange and primitive species.
Around here they say that the "gator gar" has the heart of a reptile.
They're famous for eating anything within reach,
including baby crocodiles. I suppose that mouth full of sharp teeth has something to do with it.
The small crocodile escapes.
But alligator gars aren't the most feared hunters here. Those would be the little croc's elders.
This crocodile looks desiccated, but it isn't really.
I don't want to get too close... Although
the Cuban crocodile is smaller than the African Nile or the Saltwater crocodile, it has longer legs
and much brighter eyes; eyes that it keeps wide open, as I do mine.
It's also more intelligent than its distant relatives,
and it's the most relentless hunter of the mangrove swamp, eating fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals.
I'm watching a fight that's about to break out, but from a prudent distance.
There are just too many males in one place.
It's mating season, so naturally the presence of females causes disputes.
These fights may be raucous, but they're not as bad as they seem. They rarely cause any serious injuries.
It doesn't take too long to resolve the question of who'll accompany the female to her water bed.
Watching them I have to disagree with a favourite quote from my beloved Durrell when he said,
"You simply can't judge by physical appearance".
Well, I'm not judging them by their looks...
I simply don't trust them ...or their looks". Could I have been traumatized in my childhood by Captain Hook?