Wildlife: Reptiles – Up Close with an American Alligator in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge 1

Have you ever seen an alligator? Up close? I have and this was not the first time, just the most recent. It was while visiting Stephen C. Foster State Park during a boat tour.

And what a wonderful boat tour of Okefenokee Swamp! Our guide an Interpretive Park Ranger, Josh Snead, showed us the hidden beauty that could only be experienced on the waters of this swamp. Josh talked about the native to the swamp, the American Alligator. About 12,000 live in the Okefenokee!

Why wouldn’t he, these reptiles were everywhere! Even swimming in the lake beside our boat. Well they actually moved pretty quickly away from us.

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Look! Floating just below the surface. See those eyes, that back ridge?

Again, slowly and, silently guiding our boat to a stop, Josh quietly motioned us to peer over at a fallen tree on the lake. . Look closely! A young alligator was resting on the tree, sunning the back boney plates in his back. Heating himself again the cool lake temperatures. Another alligator lay still amongst the vegetation so we moved in for a closer look.

What a magnificent sight!

Josh really knows the swamp! Well sorry You, the blog reader, didn’t get to be on the boat tour but here is Josh Sneed telling us all about American Alligators.

Check the following about our other adventure in the swamp.

Remember Josh showed us a Barred Owl on her native perch at Stephen C. Foster State Park.

Wildlife: Birds of the Air – Up Close with a Barred Owl in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge 2

We can’t wait to return to the Okefenokee Swamp!

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