Mark Hoog is a South Carolina native that graduated from Newberry College with a biology major and a chemistry minor in 2019. Mark is interested in behavioral, spatial, conservation and population ecology, especially in crocodilians. Mark got his start working with crocodilian at an alligator sanctuary in Texas shortly after graduation. This led to him working as a field technician for Clemson university studying the behavioral effects of negative conditioning on alligators in coastal South Carolina. Mark is now studying the spatial and behavioral ecology of the alligators in the Okefenokee Swamp. In addition to the alligator project Mark also frequently helps on the eastern indigo snake project.

Mark is transitioning from a research technician to a Master’s student at Georgia Southern University where he will pursue a Master's in Biology. Mark’s thesis will focus on the genetic relatedness of alligators and how that relatedness influences intraspecific interactions along with their spatial ecology and distribution throughout the swamp. As part of this project, Mark also will work to create a family tree of the alligators in the swamp. This will be used at both Okefenokee Swamp Park and Okefenokee adventures to help educate the public on the story of the American alligator in the Okefenokee.