Annihilation (Southern Reach, #1)

by Jeff VanderMeer

Bogs and streams hid huge aquatic reptiles, and so we were careful not to wade too deep to collect our water samples.

The reptiles come back into play in ACCEPTANCE, book 3–in which a character must jump over one. This is easier than it sounds if the head is lost in the underbrush on one side of a raised trail and the tail on the other, thus ensuring that you can at least pretend it doesn’t see you. I have jumped over a large saurian in my day. I can’t pretend it didn’t make me long to have gone out for the long jump team in college. Quick test: Is this an alligator or a crocodile?