5 CHAPTER ONE American alligators live only in wetlands of the southeastern United States An American alligator creeps into the brown waters of the Okefenokee Swamp Its strong tail sweeps back and forth The alligator swims just below the water’s surface Only its raised nostrils and eyes are visible as it glides through floating lily pads Bald cypress trees grow in the water near the shoreline A sandhill crane wades between the trees swollen trunks Its bugle-like call drowns out the WHAT IS A WETLAND
In some wetlands such as the Okefenokee Swamp water covers most of the ground year-round 6
Okefenokee Swamp The Okefenokee Swamp is one of the largest freshwater swamps in the world It covers 438,000 acres 177,000 ha of land in southeast Georgia and northwest Florida The swamp’s name comes from the Creek tribe of Native Americans It means land of the trembling earth This is because walking on the swamp’s soft ground often causes nearby bushes and shrubs to shake The waters of the Okefenokee Swamp are brown The color comes from tannic acid that is released as plants decay 7 croaking of the tree frogs A turtle sunning on a log dives into the dark water with a splash Properties of a Wetland Water is present in all ecosystems But it plays a unique role in wetland ecosystems Swamps such as the Okefenokee are one type of wetland Marshes bogs and fens are also types of wetlands So what makes a wet area a wetland All wetlands share similar water soil and plant characteristics Wetlands have hydric soils This means the soil does not get much oxygen because there is too
