National Geographic: Realm of the Alligator Page #4

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Risking attack,

the turtle invades the nest

and lays her eggs

taking advantage of the warmth

and moisture.

Leaving her eggs behind,

the turtle tries to get away.

It's just as risky as getting in.

Most adult turtles in Okefenokee

bear the marks of encounters like this.

Often they are not harmed.

It's as if alligators recognize

the turtle after one futile bite.

Finding it hard to crack,

they then leave it alone.

The female turtle has done her part.

She leaves her eggs in the alligator's

protection and will not return.

For otters, turtles are handy

and long-suffering playthings.

Otters are perhaps the most

entertaining inhabitants of Okefenokee

And playfulness is believed

to be one strong indication

of animal intelligence.

Violent thunderstorms often

rake Okefenokee in summer.

And during a dry period

lightning can set the swamp ablaze.

Peat, when dry, is flammable.

It can burn slowly and steadily

for months at a time.

So fire eats away the land

in Okefenokee.

Scientists think such fires may serve

to revitalize the swamp,

creating hollows where new ponds

and lakes form when the drought ends.

Recovery after a fire is swift.

Soon Okefenokee is once again

resplendent with vibrant color.

By late summer the baby alligators

are ready to hatch.

It has taken about nine weeks

for the eggs to incubate.

A chorus of cries from the nest

brings the mother alligator

to assist her young.

The baby turtles may also be hatching

at the same time.

The alligator baby.

Its cries have been loud enough

to be heard

even before the egg has broken open.

Interestingly enough, the sex

of baby alligators

is determined by the temperature

surrounding the eggs

Above 90 degrees Fahrenheit

only males develop.

Below 87 degrees there are

only females.

No one yet knows precisely

how this serves the alligator's survival.

The mother alligator tries to seize the

young in her mouth and carry them away.

The baby turtles aren't so fortunate.

In all the confusion they're

on their own.

With ponderous care,

the mother alligator carries

her young away to water one by one.

The baby turtles seem to know

instinctively to lie low

when the mother alligator is near.

When the baby turtles

make a break for it,

they head unerringly

for the nearest water.

When all this is over,

a new generation of both turtles and

alligators begins life in Okefenokee.

In 1960 a dam was built in

the wildlife refuge

on the Suwannee River

that could change Okefenokee forever.

By holding water in the swamp,

the dam is intended to prevent fires

and loss of timber in nearby forests.

But it could also upset

the balance of fire

and regeneration that makes

the makes the swamp what it is.

Experts disagree,

and it could be decades

before the full impact is known.

In the realm of the alligator,

meanwhile,

life continues according

to an ancient pattern.

At this age the young alligators

are vulnerable to many predators.

They will remain in

their mother's protection

for several months

before going off on their own.

So the alligator has survived

on earth

long before the time of man.

And with sufficient human knowledge

and concern,

the alligator will remain

an ancient and durable survivor

of the distant past.

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