Alligator Osteoderm Armor

All along its back – from neck to tail – the American Alligator is armored with bony scales called osteoderms. … More

Okefenokee Alligator Research

As my daughter and I paddled away from the Suwannee Canal launch area for our three-day overnight excursion into the … More

A Drive Down Swamp Island Drive

From our home in Athens, Georgia, the drive to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is about five hours. Even if … More

Amazing Alligator Design: The Eyes

While we are inspired by an alligator basking in full glory on the bank of a canal or atop a … More

The ‘gator had the boy by the head

An old Okefenokee Swamper story as told by Owen Smith in the journals of naturalist Francis Harper, 1929: “Henry Bennett … More

Bellowing like a Bull

Excerpt from the 1926 History of the Okefenokee Swamp by AS McQueen and Hamp Mizell: “The alligators, especially at mating season, keep … More

Watch Your Step

An exciting tale from EA McIlhenny’s 1935 book, The Alligator’s Life History, where he describes stepping on a submerged alligator… … More

The Sill Never Lets Me Down

While I thoroughly enjoy any season in the Okefenokee Swamp, I felt as if I had “struck out” with wildlife … More

Hawks and Baby Alligators

An excerpt from my 2017 Okefenokee Journal: Paddling up the red trail just before 9:30 AM, we came to a … More

Not a Pleasure Excursion

EXCERPT FROM THE 1875 OKEFENOKEE EXPLORATION BY THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION “We are receiving applications daily by letter and in person, to … More