A Tallahassee photographer was staking out the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge wetlands, waiting to catch a glimpse of the bald eagles, when something else caught his eye.
While near the old pier and lighthouse, David Heath watched as what he estimated to be a 6-foot alligator slowly swam up and down the Apalachee Bay coastline in search of his next meal.
“I photograph gators a lot, but this was different,” Heath said.
Fishermen were casting lines a ways away from the reptile, and birds flocked along posts protruding from the water, unbothered by the gator lurking nearby.
But Heath relished the sight.
He’s seen a gator out in the open water before, but “it’s rare.”
Alligators are known to occasionally visit the beach, particularly when there are brackish waterways or rivers nearby that feed into the Gulf. But they can only tolerate saltwater for short periods of time, as they are primarily freshwater reptiles, living in swampy areas, rivers, streams, lakes and ponds.
“I was fortunate I had my camera with me this time,” he said. “You go down thousands of times, but every now and again, you get something unusual.”
Due to the persisting drought, many of the ponds at the wildlife refuge are dried up, Heath said, but he doesn’t necessarily think the gator took to the sea because of the lack of pond options.
“But you never know. I never asked him,” Heath said with a chuckle.
Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee photographer spots alligator swimming in Gulf at St. Marks
Reporting by Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
