Alligator Lagoon - St. Augustine Alligator Farm, Florida, USA

American alligators bask on a sandy bank and drift through the shallows at the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, on Anastasia Island on Florida's Atlantic coast, and there are nearly always more of them in the water than you first think.

Because alligators are cold-blooded, the weather decides their day. When it's warm they haul themselves out into the sun and barely move for hours, and when it cools down they slip back into the water until only their eyes and nostrils are showing.

From February to July the trees above the lagoon turn into a wild rookery, as herons, egrets, ibis and roseate spoonbills move in to raise their noisy chicks right over the gators' heads. The farm itself opened in 1893, which makes it one of Florida's oldest attractions.

Did You Know? The wading birds nest above the alligators on purpose. Raccoons and other nest raiders won’t risk crossing gator-filled water, so the birds’ eggs and chicks are much safer.

See more live zoo cams, spot more live bird cams, browse live webcams in the United States, or explore our Live Webcam Map.