Life in the Everglades

Date: May 20, 2016

Location: Stockton University

Blog Post By: Morgan Gilligan

The Everglades is the largest remaining subtropical wilderness in the U.S. It is filled with 1.5 million acres of saw grass marshes, mangrove forests, and hardwood hammocks that are over run by the wetlands. Water in South Florida flows from the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobee. The water then flows southward to the Biscayne Bay, the Ten Thousand Islands, and the Florida Bay. This slow-moving water created ponds, marshes, and forests. Over thousands of years this developed into a balanced ecosystem. Today, the Everglades are home to a wide variety of wildlife. The Everglades is home to many types of plants and animals that have specifically adapted to a wet, subtropical environment. Some animals like the Florida panther and the West Indian manatee have become symbols of the Everglades. 

There are over 350 bird species that can be found in Everglades National Park alone. The Everglades is known for many of its wading birds, such as egrets, herons and wood storks, but it is also a home for a huge number of migratory birds. Species such as the snail kite, wood stork and Cape Sable seaside sparrow have become endangered species.

Both alligators and crocodiles live in the Everglades. These two are sometimes mistaken for each other. American alligators like deep, freshwater channels of water called sloughs and wet prairie, where they can dig out ponds for nesting. The American crocodile likes to live in the coastal mangroves and Florida Bay. The Everglades' most endangered animal, is the Florida panther. There are only 80 that now survive. Other well-known Everglades mammals are the West Indian manatee, which is also endangered, and the bottlenose dolphin.

The Florida Everglades is also home to few invasive species. This happened on purpose and by accident. Altering water flows and wildfires allowed exotic plants, such as the Brazilian peppertree, Chinese privet, melaleuca, and Old World climbing fern to invade. The Burmese python is also breeding throughout the park after being released by pet-owners who could not take care of them.

Ultimately preserving the Everglades is important because it consists of many types of wetlands that offer habitat to a wide variety of plants and animals. If you're looking to visit, you can plan your trip here. To learn more about why this ecosystem is important and why we should preserve it, visit here.