©www.williamwisephoto.com Suwannee Middle Fork (red canoe trail) between Billy's Lake and mile marker 29; Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. March 4, 2021.

• N30.83694° W82.34388°
• Sunny, with a high near 73. Light northwest wind.
• Sunrise: 6:52 AM; Sunset: 6:30 PM
• Daylight hours: 11 hours, 38 minutes (+1m 52s)
• Moon: 67% Waning Gibbous
• www.okefenokee.photography

I was able to capture a picture of a huge American Alligator at my latest trip to the Sweetwater Wetlands Park in Gainesville, Fl. This American Alligator has the normal texture of common alligators. It has a hard and rough back, with a long tail to help its balance. The alligator was sun bathing, which according to the American Alligator Species profile, helps alligators warm themselves up. This is a cooling method that can also be compared to dogs panting. Alligators can grow up to 15 ft tall, with weight varying from gender to age. This American Alligators is a deuterostome due to its having an anus and a mouth (both developing after one another during the conceived time period). Alligators tend to have a murky green color to help blend into the swampy marshes that they are typically seen in.

Reference: https://srelherp.uga.edu/alligators/allmis.htm#:~:text=Alligators%20are%20%E2%80%9Ccold%2Dblooded%2C,the%20banks%20of%20water%20bodies