The king of the Everglades: the American Alligator. We watched as this alligator swam gracefully through the water.
The alligator is central to the survival of the Everglades. Alligators dig out pockets in the limestone, known as “Gator holes”. During the dry season which occurs from December through April, these holes become an oasis for many of the park’s insects, turtles, fish, and birds.
The American Alligator is no longer an endangered species in Florida. They are commonly found in the fresh water sawgrass marshes of the park.
Also, found within the park’s boundaries is the American Crocodile, an endangered species whose only remaining habitat in the United States is the Southern tip of Florida. Everglades National Park is the only place in the world where both alligators and crocodiles exist in close proximity. Crocodiles in the Everglades are located along the coastal areas in the brackish waters of Florida Bay.
The landscape of the Florida Everglades. Taken from atop the viewing tower at the mid-point of the tram tour. The clumps of trees that can be seen in the distance are hardwood hammocks. The hammocks are pockets of limestone rising above the sawgrass prairie which have been built up over time with sediment deposited by the water flowing through Shark River Slough. South Florida is a sub-tropical region, so the hammocks support both tropical trees, such as mahogany, gumbo limbo, and cocoplum, and temperate trees, like live oak, red maple, and hackberry. Many types of orchids and ferns grow under the shade of the tall trees of the hardwood hammock.
Another alligator along the side of the road.
A Purple Gallinule walks upon the spatterdock.
One Comment
Hello there, I was just browsing your page and saw that you had a photo mislabeled. Your second photo on page one is labeled as being a White Heron, a relative of the Great Blue Heron. While it is true that a White Heron is a morph of the Great Blue (Smithsonia Handobooks “Birds of Florida”), your photo actually depicts a Great Egret, a rather common bird here in South Florida. The way I was taught to tell the difference (from a kind gentleman at the Wild Bird Santuary in the Florida Keys) is that White Herons look VERY much like Great Blues (especially), just white, and have fleshy colored legs (also mentioned in the Smithsonian book). Great Egrets, on the other hand, have black legs and much more yellow beaks. The following website has images of both; the differences are easier to see when next to each other. (http://themarksman.us/birdwatching/birdwatching_g.htm)
Seems to be a common mistake though. I wouldn’t have known unless I’d heard it from the Sanctuary, since the differences are so small.
Sorry to intrude…
~Tiff