An American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) lies on a log amongst ancient water tupelos (Nyssa aquatica) in the Beidler Forest in Harleyville, South Carolina. Light barely penetrates beneath the dense canopy of the old growth forest, but ectotherms like alligators and turtles find adequate sunbathing locations in areas where trees cannot grow. This photo is a part of National Geographic Explorer Mac Stone’s immersive photography book, Cypress: The Last Old-Growth Swamps.
