While there are twenty-seven known species of snake that live in the Everglades, fortunately, only four of them are actually venomous: Cottonmouth Also known as the water moccasin, cottonmouths are a type of pit viper found mostly in the Southeastern United States. They are the only semiaquatic viper species in the entire world, and they […]
The West Indian manatee is certainly a local favorite, these gentle creatures having affectionately earned themselves the nickname of “sea cow.” The West Indian manatee can be further classified into two subgroups, the Florida Manatee and the Caribbean Manatee, both of which are currently on the endangered species list. The West Indian manatee is a […]
The ghost orchid, also known by its Latin name of dendrophylax lindenii, is often talked about but rarely seen, and is today considered to be one of the rarest flowers in the United States, if not the entire world. First discovered in 1844, the elusive flower has only been spotted in three places: Cuba, the […]
The roseate spoonbill has long been considered one of the most beautiful birds in the entire world, largely due to its eccentric coloring. Like flamingoes, roseate spoonbills are almost entirely pink, with different shades of varying depths covering most of their bodies. Like the flamingo, roseate spoonbills gets their intense coloring from their diets, which […]
Airboats are also sometimes referred to as “fanboats.” Airboats are propelled with either aircraft or automotive engines. Automative engines are preferred for airboats, as automative gas is much less expensive than aviation gas. Airboat hulls are made out of aluminum or fiberglass. Airboat propellers can produce prop wash behind them of around 150mph. Propellers must […]
Mangroves are one of the last true natives in Florida, with an estimated 469,000 acres of mangrove forests found throughout the southern coastal areas of Florida. Because they thrive in saltwater and brackish water environments, they have made a comfortable home here since prehistoric times, and today, though there are more than fifty species of […]
Good news for the Everglades this week, with President Obama having announced on Monday, February 2nd that he is proposing to spend $195 million on Everglades restoration projects starting in 2015. This is quite a jump from last year’s proposal, showing that Obama will support the Everglades restoration project throughout the remainder of his presidency. […]
The osprey goes by many names – fish hawk, sea hawk, fish eagle, and river hawk – but all names seem to call out one particular characteristic of this powerful hunting bird, the fact that its diet is comprised almost entirely of fish. While this is certainly not the only unique characteristic of the osprey, […]
If you’ve traveled around Southern Florida, chances are you’ve heard the term “brackish” used when describing some areas of water. But what is brackish water and what makes it characteristic of some bodies of water and not others? Brackish water is a cross between freshwater and saltwater – it has a higher salinity level than […]
To understand the beauty and unique characteristics of the Florida Everglades ecosystem, one first learns that the Everglades are classified as wetlands. Wetlands are areas of land that remain saturated by water either seasonally or throughout the year. What separates wetlands from rivers and oceans is the ever present abundance of plant life and vegetation. […]
