Introduction
The everglades is so extraordinary because of its plants and animals. There are over twenty different kinds of bids and
hundreds of other species. The plant life in the everglades is unique and diverse in its own way. Over 2,000 different
kinds of plants make up the everglades, including the pinelands and the mangroves.
Alligator
The most dangerous species in the everglades are Alligators, Crocodiles, and Panthers. The
American Alligator is the largest reptile in
North America. It can grow 16 feet or longer, but the female will usually grow up to nine feet. Although it may appear to
be slow and clumsy, an alligator can move with lightning speed when a meal is close at hand. Alligators perform a
mating ritual that can last for days. Soon, they dive and mate. After the ritual has been completed, the male alligator
leaves the female, taking no part in preparing for or raising its young. In late June the female lays 20 to 60 eggs.
Crocodile
The alligator is a common sight in the Everglades,
but its shy and secretive cousin, the endangered American Crocodile. It is only found in the Flamingo part in the
Everglades National Park.
Panther
Another endangered animal that makes its home in the Everglades is the
Florida Panther. The few remaining in southern Florida
are the last panthers in existence in the state. Because these big cats need an extensive hunting territory, they have
been especially hard hit by loss of habitat. In recent years, they have received a great deal of attention as concerned
groups and individuals work to save this beautiful cat from extinction.
Birdlife
The Everglades is like paradise filled with birds. A very different
variety of the species exist in the everglades some the size of a lemon, some with the wing span of 7 feet!
There are birds there like the great egret, the roseate spoonbill, the anhinga, the wood stork, the bald eagle
and many more. A lot people hope to preserve this natural wildlife that exists in the everglades.
Plants
The everglades
are filled with many different types of plants, like palm trees and saw grass. There are three different areas with
plant life, the Mangroves, Hardwood Hammocks and, the Pinelands.
Saw Grass is a very common plant in the
everglades that takes up nearly 8 million acres of open, flat prairie. It is one the most toughest types of grass in the
sedge family.
Mangroves
Pinelands
Hardwood Hammocks
Florida Bay
There are three
different parts of the mangroves. The red mangroves, found nearest to the shoreline, and is well supported on
aboveground roots that arch from its trunk and hold the tree into place from the muck below. More inland is the black
mangroves, which display unusual aerial roots called pneumatophores, which stand like cigars in a twisted attention
all around the base of the tree. White mangroves prefer higher ground and grow still farther inland, often forming
hammocks with mahogany trees. All of these types of mangroves provide a important role in the everglades. When
the leaves decompress they provide nuitriants to the ground.
Another unique environment occasionally disrupts the immeasurable saw grass. The
slash pine
is the most common plant in the pinelands. Slash pine is a hardy tree that is able to put roots down in almost no
soil at all, such as in the hollows and potholes that stud the limestone bedrock. Other plants in the pinelands are
the
saw palmetto, the moonvine, a type of
morning glory,
and the coontie, a plant resembling a palm tree from
which native peoples made flour for many centuries. The pinelands is an important place for animals too, the
cotton mouse,
opossum,
raccoon,
pine warbler, and the reef gecko find food and
shelter within the pinelands.
Hardwood hammocks are sometimes described as tree islands. This is because they are small areas and are found
on ground that's a little higher than the land that surrounds it.
White-tailed deer often occupie these areas. In the fall and winter
wild hogs feed in hammocks on acorns and saw palmetto berries. Other animals that live in these heivily vegitated
places are raccoon,
bobcats,
barred owls,
hawks, and
marsh rabbits. The hardwood hammocks are unique places with the richest soil and its beatiful colors.
Florida Bay, is the point of departure for exploring the bay and enjoying sport-fishing on Florida's coast. The Florida bay is made up of over 100 keys. Thes keys are made up by the mangroves roots and fallen leaves, trapped sediments, and organic debris washed in by the tides. There are many species of wildlife such has dolphins, sharks, sea turtles, and occasional manatees.