Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia

What’s Down There? [Walk-in Swamp Submarine interactive]

What if you could tour the Okefenokee in your own Swamp Submarine?  What mysterious creatures would you find?

Look through the portholes to explore the Okefenokee’s  underwater world. Then check the drawers to see what else we found.

 Fascinating Fish   [Swamp Submarine Porthole]

Going fishing?  Down here below the surface, the tea-colored waters of the Okefenokee hide nearly 40 species of fish.  The water is calm, but don’t be fooled:  It’s a fish-eat-fish world.  Look through the portholes for these members of the fishy food chain….

Eeek!  An Okefenokee Salamander Quiz

If dwarf sirens have two legs, striped newts have four legs, and a Southern two-lined salamander has two lines running up its back, how many toes are on a two-toed amphiuma?

Answer:  Eight, of course!  If you were confused by this North American salamander’s common name -- the Congo eel - you probably forgot to count the two toes on each of its tiny back legs.

 Life in the Cypress Canopy [Stairs to Fire Tower] 

The Okefenokee teems with life above and below what you see on the surface.   Many plant and animal species live in the forest canopy--the tangle of tree limbs, vines, and Spanish moss at the top of the forest.  Like all the Okefenokee’s habitats, the cypress canopy exists because of the age-old interplay of earth, air, fire and water in this unique ecosystem. Climb the tower to get a “bird’s-eye view.”  If you’re really observant, you’ll spot at least ten species who prefer life above the ground.