Fact brief: Are there gators in the Ocmulgee River in Middle Georgia?

Alligators do live in the Ocmulgee River — both at the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park and in other portions of the river — in Middle Georgia, according to the National Parks Service and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

While the Okefenokee Swamp in South Georgia alone is home to around 15,000 alligators, the state has an estimated population of between 200,000 and 250,000 American alligators. Gators typically live along and south of the fall line, which travels through Macon, among other cities. 

A population map from Georgia DNR shows Bibb County as one of the state’s northernmost gator hunting zones. The Ocmulgee Mounds park website says the alligators can be seen between March and November at the Clay Pond in the park.
Bibb County sheriff’s deputies captured an alligator more than 11 feet long in Macon.

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Sources

• National Park Service Reptile Guide for Ocmulgee National Historic Park
• Georgia Department of Natural Resources Alligator Fact Sheet
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 5 Fantastic Animals in the Okefenokee Swamp