Alligator Adjusting Its Eggs, Everglades, Florida
Photograph by Chris Johns Despite 70-odd teeth and a notoriously nasty bite, a female alligator in Florida’s Everglades National Park demonstrates a delicate touch when the time comes for her eggs to hatch. Gently grasping an egg in her mouth, she rolls it on her tongue, feeling for signs of life. If she senses something stirring, she cracks the egg open, then tilts her head forward to let the baby emerge. (Photo shot on assignment for "Everglades: Dying for Help,” April 1994, National Geographic magazine)
Shrimp Hiding in Sand, Florida
Photograph by Robert F. Sisson Shunning light, a pink shrimp buries itself in aquarium sand except for its feelers and golf-ball eyes. To avoid predators, they'll burrow even deeper, leaving only a tiny hole for breathing. (Photo shot on assignment for "Shrimp Nursery—Science Explores New Ways to Farm the Sea," May 1965, National Geographic magazine)
Statue of Christ of the Abyss, Florida
Photograph by Bates Littlehales Softly aglow in sea-washed sunlight, Christ of the Abyss stands 30 feet (9 meters) down in the Atlantic in Florida's John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Visitors to the sanctuary don masks and fins or view the sea life through the glass bottoms of tour boats. (Photo shot on assignment for "The Lower Keys, Florida's 'Out Islands,'" January 1971, National Geographic magazine)
Rocket Launch, Cape Canaveral, Florida, 1972
Photograph by Otis Imboden A time-lapse photo captures the brilliant arc of light streaking through the night sky after a rocket blast-off in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This rocket was likely used to launch a weather satellite, which will orbit the Earth and gather data on atmospheric conditions, such as cloud cover, precipitation, and air pressure, used to predict the weather. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "We’re Doing Something About the Weather!" April 1972, National Geographic magazine)
Blue Hole and Diver, Ichetucknee Springs, Florida, 1999
Photograph by Wes C. Skiles A column of sunlight illuminates a diver in the diamond-clear waters of Blue Hole in North Florida’s Ichetucknee Springs State Park. Conservationists worry that Ichetucknee, one of the crown jewels of Florida's parks system, could become polluted by runoff far from the park's center. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Unlocking the Labyrinth of North Florida's Springs," March 1999, National Geographic magazine)
Schoolmaster Snappers, Conch Reef, Florida, 2003
Photograph by Brian Skerry A column of schoolmaster snappers hovers near a support beam for the Aquarius research station near Florida's Conch Reef. Installed in 1993, this railroad-car-size unit gives scientists a permanent place to observe the creatures that live on the reef and how each plays a part in the ecosystem. (Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Deep Science: Sleeping With the Fishes," September 2003, National Geographic magazine)
Sunset and Palm Trees, Captiva Island, Florida, 1992
Photograph by Raymond Gehman A fuchsia sunset backdrops a stand of palm trees on Florida's Captiva Island. Captiva is one of four quiet barrier islands on the Gulf coast of Florida—Sanibel, North Captiva, and Cayo Costa are the others—renowned as havens for boating, fishing, and seashell-collecting. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Islands of the Shell Coast," November/December 1992, National Geographic Traveler magazine)
Hatchling Alligators, Big Cypress Swamp, Florida, 1994
Photograph by Chris Johns Hatchling alligators break free of their shells in Big Cypress Swamp in the Florida Everglades. Babies who have trouble emerging get a surprisingly delicate assist from the tooth-lined jaws of their mother. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Everglades: Dying for Help," April 1994, National Geographic magazine)
Baby Alligator Snapping Turtle, Florida, 1999
Photograph by George Grall A baby alligator snapping turtle in a Florida swamp perches on the outsize skull of a record-breaking ancestor. At its largest, the monstrous reptile weighed a whopping 250 pounds (113 kilograms). With its spiked shell, beaklike jaws, and thick, scaled tail, this species is often referred to as the "dinosaur of the turtle world." (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Swamp Thing: Unmasking the Snapping Turtle," March 1999, National Geographic magazine)
Pines and Palm Trees, Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida, 1996
Photograph by Raymond Gehman Sunset bathes Florida's Big Cypress National Preserve in an orange glow. The preserve, 720,000 acres (291,375 hectares) of primordial swamp on Florida's southwest coast, is home to the elusive Florida panther and an impressive diversity of birds, among other unique fauna and flora. But human development in and around the area threatens to send this fragile ecosystem into a tailspin. (Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "In Big Cypress Country," March/April 1997, National Geographic Traveler magazine)
Diving in Devil's Ear, Florida, 1998
Photograph by Wes Skiles Plant tannins from the Santa Fe River mixed with diamond-clear aquifer waters make this cave entrance in Florida's Ginnie Spring appear engulfed in flames. The entrance, called Devil's Ear, is just one portal of hundreds in northern Florida leading to a watery underworld that explorers are slowly bringing to light. (Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Unlocking the Labyrinth of North Florida Spring," March 1999, National Geographic magazine)
West Indian Manatee, Florida, 1999
Photograph by Wes Skiles Like many creatures, the manatee's bulk—they can be as much as 13 feet (4 meters) long and 1,300 pounds (600 kilograms)—belies its aquatic grace. Also called sea cows, manatees are graceful swimmers that typically glide along coastal waters at 5 to 15 miles an hour (8 to 24 kilometers an hour). This West Indian manatee is wintering in a North Florida spring, attracted by the region's constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit (22 degrees Celsius) waters. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "North Florida Springs," March 1999, National Geographic magazine)
West Indian Manatee, Florida, 1998
Photograph by Wes Skiles A West Indian manatee drifts through crystal-clear water in a North Florida spring. Hundreds of these gentle giants migrate from coastal habitats to the springs each winter to bask in their constant and comparatively balmy 72-degree Fahrenheit (22-degree Celsius) waters. (Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Unlocking the Labyrinth of North Florida Spring," March 1999, National Geographic magazine)
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