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Georgia Wildlife: Bears, Alligators, Snakes, Sea Turtles and Safety

Deer, black bears, coyotes, foxes, alligators, venomous snakes, sea turtles, manatees and feral horses in Georgia: what agencies say and how to stay safe.

By It's Georgia Editorial Team·Updated October 30, 2026·14 min read

Short answer

Georgia is home to white-tailed deer, three populations of black bears, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, alligators, six kinds of venomous snakes and wild turkeys, and its coast has loggerhead sea turtles, manatees, right whales and a feral horse herd on Cumberland Island.

This guide sticks to what agencies say, grouped by animal type, and lists what we could not confirm. A range on a map is not a sighting, so you will see “might” and “per the source” a lot.

Animals You Might See

Where and when come from the source in the last column. “Might” is deliberate: a source that gives a range is not a sighting, and wild animals keep no schedule. Information as of October 30, 2026.

Big and Hoofed Animals

Animal	Where and when, per the source	Safety note	Source
White-tailed deer	Georgia is in the Forest Service range. Deer use oak-hickory forest in the southern Appalachians and coastal marsh, pine and bottomland hardwoods on the coastal plain. Georgia DNR reports the state’s first chronic wasting disease case in Lanier County and has a management area covering Lanier and Berrien counties.	Active at dawn and dusk, so watch the road (general guidance). Do not feed or touch.	Forest Service: white-tailed deer; Georgia DNR: deer
Black bear: north Georgia mountains	Georgia DNR names three bear populations, and one is in the north Georgia mountains. Bears may wander anywhere at times. DNR says about 4,100 bears live in the state on its bear page and about 5,100 on a 2021 fact sheet, so we say several thousand.	Be BearWise: make noise, keep dogs leashed, pack out food and trash, store food in a bear-resistant container or a locked vehicle. If a bear sees you, back away slowly and never run. If it keeps coming, hold your ground and yell. If it makes contact, fight back; do not play dead.	Georgia DNR: bear information; Georgia DNR: BearWise
Black bear: central Georgia	A second population lives along the Ocmulgee River drainage in central Georgia.	Same as above.	Georgia DNR: bear information
Black bear: Okefenokee area	A third population lives in and around the Okefenokee Swamp. Bears favor mature hardwood-pine forest. We do not publish den locations.	Pet food, bird seed, suet, compost and beehives draw bears; take feeders down and secure garbage. DNR records no bear attacks on humans in Georgia.	Georgia DNR: bear fact sheet
Feral hog	DNR lists hogs among non-native species. The page gives hunting rules (no limit, no closed season) and no counts or locations.	Do not approach hogs (general guidance).	Georgia DNR: non-native species
Feral horses, Cumberland Island	The National Park Service calls the island’s herd the only unmanaged feral herd on the Atlantic coast. Surveys since 2003 counted 120 to 148 horses. They are often on the lawns of the Dungeness Historic District, dune meadows, salt marsh and roads.	Stay at least 50 feet away. Horses have the right of way. Never feed or pet them.	National Park Service: feral horses

Coyotes, Foxes, Bobcats and Small Mammals

Animal	Where and when, per the source	Safety note	Source
Coyote	DNR says coyotes live statewide, including in cities, and are mostly solitary hunters. A Forest Service review of a south-central Georgia study found they rested in cover and fed at night in open areas.	DNR: bring small pets in at night, remove food and water attractants, keep pets leashed, and stay alert at dawn and dusk.	Georgia DNR: coyote fact sheet; Forest Service: coyote; Georgia DNR: wildlife conflicts
Red fox	The Forest Service says red foxes like varied habitat with edges and avoid dense forest. Its page says they are absent from the extreme Southeast, so how far they reach in Georgia is not clear to us.	Foxes are among the animals most often found with rabies (CDC). Do not touch or feed.	Forest Service: red fox; CDC: rabies
Gray fox	Most abundant in southern Georgia in mixed woods and cultivated areas, and less so in pine savanna, per the Forest Service. The edge between woods and farmland is its best habitat.	Same rabies note as red fox.	Forest Service: gray fox
Bobcat	The Forest Service lists Georgia in the range: common in the South in mixed forest and farmland, eating mostly cottontails and cotton rats. Georgia-specific counts are not given.	Shy; give it room and keep small pets in at dusk and dawn (general guidance).	Forest Service: bobcat
Raccoon	Most abundant near water, in bottomland forests, hardwood swamps and marshes; scarce in southern pine forests; also in suburbs. Rabies is common in raccoons, and rabid ones are often passive, not aggressive.	Keep your distance. Wash any bite or scratch with soap and water and get medical care right away (CDC).	Forest Service: raccoon; CDC: rabies
River otter and beaver	Both are in the Forest Service range for Georgia. Otters use slow water with deep pools, estuaries and lower stream reaches and eat mostly fish.	View from a distance (general guidance).	Forest Service: river otter; Forest Service: beaver
Fox squirrel	Found on the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plain in open pine forest with little understory.	Do not feed or handle wild rodents (general guidance).	Forest Service: fox squirrel
Nine-banded armadillo	Common in the forests of Cumberland Island, often out in daylight in cool months. DNR lists the armadillo as non-native. The National Park Service says casual contact is not considered a risk, though armadillos can carry Hansen’s disease.	Do not handle armadillos or other wildlife.	National Park Service: armadillos; Georgia DNR: non-native species

Birds

Animal	Where and when, per the source	Safety note	Source
Wild turkey	The Forest Service places eastern wild turkeys in Georgia, in forest with openings; pine-hardwood and baldcypress-tupelo forests are named.	Give them room; do not feed.	Forest Service: wild turkey
Bald eagle	Nests statewide near reservoirs, rivers, farm ponds, the coast and big wetlands. Coastal nesting starts up to two months earlier than in north Georgia. The Fish and Wildlife Service delisted the species in 2007; it is still protected by federal law.	Stay at least 330 feet from an active nest (DNR). We do not publish nest locations.	Georgia DNR: bald eagles; US Fish and Wildlife Service
Red-cockaded woodpecker	Needs mature pines over about 80 years old, longleaf preferred, and nests in cavities in living pines. The Okefenokee refuge lists it.	Do not disturb cavity trees (general guidance).	US Fish and Wildlife Service; Okefenokee refuge
Wood stork	About half of Georgia’s wood storks depend in part on coastal tidal pools and creeks, per DNR’s bird report. Federally threatened. Harris Neck refuge says storks nest in a colony there.	Keep your distance from colonies (general guidance).	Georgia DNR: bird report; Harris Neck refuge
Painted bunting	Coastal maritime forest and scrub support much of the eastern population. Harris Neck calls it an uncommon signature songbird. That is range, not a sighting.	Stay on trails (general guidance).	Georgia DNR: bird report; Harris Neck refuge
Sandhill crane	The Okefenokee refuge is the only site DNR knows of with breeding Florida sandhill cranes.	Keep your distance (general guidance).	Georgia DNR: bird report; Okefenokee refuge
Swallow-tailed kite	River floodplains on the Savannah, Ogeechee, Altamaha, Satilla and St. Marys are the stronghold for nesting kites, per DNR. The Okefenokee and Savannah refuges list it.		Georgia DNR: bird report; Savannah refuge
Brown pelican and coastal seabirds	Brown pelicans are among Georgia’s resident seabirds and nest on the ground on low dune sites. DNR names disturbance by beach visitors as a main threat. We do not publish nesting islands.	Stay out of posted bird areas.	Georgia DNR: bird report
Red knot and other shorebirds	Fall stopovers include the mouth of the Altamaha River. DNR lists whimbrel, red knot, piping plover, American oystercatcher, least tern and black skimmer among shorebirds that use the Altamaha delta and barrier islands.	Give roosting shorebirds room; Fish and Wildlife says roost sites need to be free of heavy disturbance.	US Fish and Wildlife Service: red knot; Georgia DNR: bird report
Refuge birds	Savannah refuge lists wood duck, purple gallinule, anhinga and wintering waterfowl. Okefenokee lists Bachman’s sparrow, prothonotary warbler, red-shouldered hawk and barred owl.	Ticks are common at Savannah refuge; see Staying Safe.	Savannah refuge; Okefenokee refuge

Alligators, Snakes, Tortoises and Fish

Animal	Where and when, per the source	Safety note	Source
American alligator	Along and south of the Fall Line (roughly Columbus, Macon and Augusta), in marshes, swamps, rivers, ponds and sometimes ditches and golf-course ponds. DNR estimates 200,000 to 250,000 in Georgia and says there is no evidence they breed north of the Fall Line. The Okefenokee refuge estimates 15,000.	Feeding alligators, on purpose or by accident, is illegal in Georgia (DNR). Assume gators in any water in range, swim only in daylight, keep pets back from the edge, never approach. From 1980 to July 2023 DNR counts nine attacks on people in Georgia, one fatal.	Georgia DNR: Be GatorWise; Georgia DNR: alligator fact sheet
Eastern diamondback rattlesnake	Coastal Plain, south of the Fall Line, in open longleaf pine woods, coastal dunes and marsh. Often uses gopher tortoise burrows. Dormant in late fall and winter and out on warm days. Numbers have dropped from habitat loss.	Do not kill or handle. Most snakes are not aggressive.	Georgia DNR: eastern diamondback
Timber (canebrake) rattlesnake	Most of the state except a few spots in the extreme southwest. Shy. The mountain form uses rocky upland slopes and the southern form uses bottomland hardwoods. It can strike without rattling.	Give it space; do not handle.	Georgia DNR: timber rattlesnake
Pigmy rattlesnake	Carolina form in the Piedmont and mountains, mainly the east side; dusky form in the lower Coastal Plain, with wide gaps. Mostly daytime; relies on camouflage.	Bites are rare and usually on hands or feet.	Georgia DNR: pigmy rattlesnake
Copperhead	Most of Georgia except the southeast corner, in mixed hardwood forest and rock piles. Often confused with corn snakes and northern water snakes.	Do not kill look-alikes.	Georgia DNR: copperhead
Cottonmouth	Coastal Plain and up the western side; absent from the northeast quarter. Swamps, slow rivers and farm ponds. Gapes and shows a white mouth if surprised, then tries to escape.	Harmless water snakes are often mistaken for it.	Georgia DNR: cottonmouth
Eastern coral snake	Coastal Plain, plus one population in the lower Piedmont along the Flint River basin, in well-drained sandy soil.	Do not touch. It has short fixed front fangs; the idea that it can only bite small soft areas is false.	Georgia DNR: eastern coral snake
Eastern indigo snake	Parts of southern Georgia on the coastal plain. Federally threatened and state-listed threatened, and DNR says all non-venomous snakes are protected by state law.	Leave all snakes alone.	US Fish and Wildlife Service; Georgia DNR: snakes
Gopher tortoise	Highest densities in pine-oak sandhills and flatwoods, per the Forest Service. The Okefenokee refuge lists it. We could not confirm its state legal status.	Do not disturb burrows; other animals, including diamondbacks, shelter in them.	Forest Service: gopher tortoise; Okefenokee refuge
Trout, striped bass and largemouth bass	Brook trout are the mountain stream fish in the Tennessee, Coosa, Chattahoochee and Savannah basins; Georgia is the southernmost natural range for brook trout in the East. Striped bass come in from the sea to spawn and are stocked in reservoirs. Largemouth bass are common throughout.	Fishing license rules apply (general guidance).	Georgia DNR: fish identification

Coast and Marine Life

Animal	Where and when, per the source	Safety note	Source
Loggerhead sea turtle	The only sea turtle that nests regularly in Georgia, late May to mid-August. Five of seven sea turtle species are found along the coast. Cumberland Island reports a record 1,255 nests in 2022.	No flashlights or flash photography at night, do not disturb tracks or nests, remove chairs at night. Report a dead or injured turtle to DNR at 800-272-8363. NOAA says stay 50 yards away.	Georgia DNR: sea turtles; National Park Service: sea turtles; US Fish and Wildlife Service
North Atlantic right whale	Waters off Georgia, north Florida and South Carolina are the calving area. Whales usually arrive late November or early December, and DNR asks boaters to follow guidelines November through April.	Stay at least 500 yards away; DNR calls it the law. Report to 877-942-5343.	Georgia DNR: right whales; NOAA: right whale
West Indian manatee	In tidal waters along the coast from about March into November. They feed on marsh cordgrass and gather at docks. Federally threatened.	Never feed them or give them fresh water; obey slow-speed signs. Report to 800-272-8363.	Georgia DNR: manatees
Dolphins	NOAA gives a viewing rule: stay at least 50 yards from dolphins and never feed marine mammals. Presence of dolphins off Georgia is not confirmed here; check NOAA.	Never feed; keep 50 yards.	NOAA: viewing guidelines

Where to Watch

We only point to places an official page names.

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge: Fish and Wildlife estimates 15,000 alligators and calls sightings almost guaranteed. As of October 27, 2026, water is historically low, many campsites and trails are closed and Kingfisher Landing is closed; call 912-496-3331 before you go.
Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island: Georgia’s only sea turtle education and rehabilitation facility, open daily 9 to 5. Do not touch the turtles; 912-635-4444.
Cumberland Island National Seashore: 30 mammals, 55 reptiles and amphibians and more than 300 bird species. Reached by ferry from St. Marys; reserve ahead (912-882-4336). See also the park visit page.
Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge: a wood stork colony, painted buntings and many alligators; open sunrise to sunset, pets stay in the vehicle.
Savannah National Wildlife Refuge: Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive, 4.5 miles, free, sunrise to sunset. The page does not say which side of the Georgia and South Carolina line the drive is on.
Georgia Birding and Wildlife Trails: names the Colonial Coast Birding Trail, Fort Pulaski and Tybee Island North Beach among its stops.
Also see our guides to Coastal Georgia and Outdoors and Hiking.

Staying Safe Around Wildlife

Each note below comes from the agency it names, read October 30, 2026. Check the current rule with that agency before you rely on it; general guidance is labelled as such.

Bears: store food in a bear-resistant container or locked vehicle, keep dogs leashed, make noise, and back away slowly without running. If a bear makes contact, fight back (Georgia DNR: BearWise).
Alligators: feeding them, even by accident, is illegal in Georgia. Swim only in daylight, avoid dense vegetation at the water’s edge and keep pets and children back (DNR: GatorWise).
Snakebite: stay calm and still, take off rings and tight items, wash with soap and water and call the Georgia Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222. Do not cut, suck, ice or tie off the bite (Georgia Poison Center).
Rabies: the CDC says bats, raccoons, skunks and foxes are commonly found with rabies. Wash a bite or scratch with soap and water right away, get medical care and keep pets vaccinated (CDC).
Ticks: the CDC suggests repellent, treating gear with permethrin, walking in the center of trails and checking yourself after. Cumberland Island and Savannah refuge both warn about ticks (CDC: tick prevention; Cumberland Island safety).
Coyotes: bring small pets in at night and remove food attractants (DNR).
Marine life: NOAA says 50 yards from dolphins and sea turtles and 500 yards from right whales. Never feed marine mammals (NOAA).
Eagles and nesting birds: stay 330 feet from an active eagle nest, and keep out of posted bird areas on beaches.
Feeding wildlife: the National Park Service at Cumberland Island says never feed any wildlife (Cumberland Island alligators).

What We Could Not Verify

Georgia state status of the gopher tortoise and the bald eagle. Georgia DNR can confirm. Search results suggested listings but no page we read stated them.
Dolphins off the Georgia coast, horseshoe crabs, hellbender, osprey, opossum, gray squirrels and rabbits: no page we read covers them for Georgia (DNR has fact sheets on small game; check them).
The 2026 sea turtle nest total. The DNR page says about 2,000 nests a season since 2011; newer totals are not confirmed; check with the DNR.
How many feral hogs there are and where they are densest. DNR gives only hunting rules.
Whether Savannah refuge’s wildlife drive is on the Georgia or the South Carolina side.
Local sightings of any animal. The sources give habitat and range, which is not a sighting, so “might” applies throughout.
Lyme and other tick-borne illness rates in Georgia. The CDC Lyme page we read does not mention the Southeast. Ask the Georgia Department of Public Health.
The Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests: we have no confirmed species list for it. Ask the forest office.
Black bear count: Georgia DNR pages disagree (about 4,100 and about 5,100). Ask DNR for the current figure.

Spotted something unusual? Do not post exact nest or den spots online.

More Guides

Questions People Ask

What animals live in Georgia?

White-tailed deer, black bears in three populations, coyotes, foxes, bobcats, raccoons, alligators, six kinds of venomous snakes, wild turkeys and bald eagles, plus loggerhead sea turtles, manatees and right whales on the coast. Each is in the tables above with its source.

Are there bears in Georgia?

Yes. Georgia DNR names three populations: the north Georgia mountains, the Ocmulgee River drainage in central Georgia and the Okefenokee area. DNR records no bear attacks on humans in the state.

Are there alligators in Georgia, and where?

Yes, along and south of the Fall Line (about Columbus, Macon and Augusta). DNR estimates 200,000 to 250,000 and says it is illegal to feed them.

Which snakes in Georgia are venomous?

Six: copperhead, cottonmouth, eastern diamondback, timber rattlesnake, pigmy rattlesnake and eastern coral snake, per the Georgia Poison Center and DNR. Call 1-800-222-1222 after a bite.

Are there coyotes and foxes in Georgia?

Coyotes live statewide, including in cities. Gray foxes are most abundant in southern Georgia; whether red foxes reach the state is unclear in the source we read.

When do sea turtles nest in Georgia?

Late May to mid-August, mostly loggerheads. Keep lights off the beach at night and stay back from tracks and nests.

When are right whales off Georgia?

Usually late November or early December into spring; DNR asks boaters to follow right whale guidelines November through April.

Are there wild horses in Georgia?

Yes. Cumberland Island has an unmanaged feral herd; the National Park Service counted 120 to 148 horses and asks visitors to stay at least 50 feet away.

Where can I see alligators and birds?

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, which has water and trail closures right now, Harris Neck and Savannah refuges, and Cumberland Island. Check each page before you go.

Are there javelina or mountain lions in Georgia?

We found no source that places them in Georgia, so we do not list them.

How we checked this guide: Dates, hours, admission and parking prices, and access details were verified against the official sources listed below on October 30, 2026. Operators change schedules and raise prices without notice, so confirm anything time-sensitive before you drive. The figures in this guide also feed our Georgia Attraction Transparency Index and Family Day-Out Cost Index.

Sources

Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Georgia. Cite this page: It’s Georgia (https://itsgeorgia.com/things-to-do/georgia-wildlife/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.

About It's Georgia Editorial Team

The It's Georgia Editorial Team writes every answer on this site around the questions a busy family actually asks before a trip: how long is the drive, what does parking cost, can the stroller make it, are dogs allowed. Details are checked against official park, city, and venue sources, and each answer shows the date it was last updated.

Map of the Places in This Guide

5 places on this page are pinned. Tap a pin for the page and directions. Pins come from the coordinates printed on each place page; dashed pins were placed from the place name and town and are approximate. © OpenStreetMap contributors. Confirm the spot on the official page before you drive.