The stars of this post are the some of the residents of Bull Island, in the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. I’ve been blessed with full weekend visits, in addition to day trips, Alligators are ancient, privative, and fascinating!
Please see the full posts about the trips for more info –
March 2024 – Dominick House Trip
October 2023 – Dominick House Trip
On to the stars of this post, the American Alligators found on Bull Island…
American Alligators
Bull Island, at Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge boasts the largest population of American Alligators outside of the Everglades. I love these creatures, they are so ancient, and fascinating.
This is a great, in-depth look at How Alligators Work.
We learned about their tiny brains. We passed around an Alligator scute, one of the bony plates that provide protection. We counted crazy numbers of groups of alligators on our hikes.
I even recognized my giant Alligator pal Big Boy from the bite out of his tail!
We heard a bellow off in the distance, and a little dose of baby alligator sounds. I have been close to some bellows in Huntington Beach State Park. You can feel it in your heart, it is such a visceral, primitive sound!
…but oh those baby peeps and chirps!!! They sound like the pew-pew of a space laser gun.
All of the photos below were taken over the first weekend of March 2024.
As long as you don’t act aggressively, or get between the alligators and the water, it’s safe to pass behind these gators on the trail. In most cases, they just sit there. In some, they are annoyed enough at the intrusion to slip and splash into the water.
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