Okefenokee Swamp | Blackwater, National Geographic Magazine: American Alligator Hunting

Alligator floats in orange waters.

A glassy-eyed alligator that is blind in one eye glides through reflective waters of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. This gator, frequently seen in the Suwanee Canal, is thought to have been injured during a fight with another alligator. Or perhaps it was possibly shot.

The once endangered species hunts in the darkness of night. An adult alligator can live 30 to 35 years in the wild, growing 8–12 feet long and weighing from 500 to 1,000 pounds.