Shared Moment: A Crunchy Lunch

Photographer Paulette Thomas documents an alligator munching crabs.

Photograph by Paulette Thomas
PhotoZone
Apr 01, 2019

ITS SHELL SHATTERED by powerful jaws, a blue crab falls prey to an alligator off South Carolina’s Huntington Beach State Park. There to photograph birds, Paulette Thomas saw something odd in the distance, moved in for a closer view, and realized gators were feasting on crabs. “I had never seen this before,” says Thomas, a daily visitor to the park. Hoping to document the action, she sat on a rail for 12 hours until the gators moved closer to shore. “Patience and perseverance” paid off, says Thomas. Her photograph won an honorable mention in our 2018 photo contest.

More from National Wildlife magazine and the National Wildlife Federation:

Open-Shut Case »
Ranger Rick: The Amazing Alligator »
Shop NWF: Adopt an Alligator »
See Last Issue's Shared Moment »

Get Involved

Donate Today

Sign a Petition

Donate Monthly

Nearby Events

Where We Work

More than one-third of U.S. fish and wildlife species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades. We're on the ground in seven regions across the country, collaborating with 52 state and territory affiliates to reverse the crisis and ensure wildlife thrive.

Learn More