What animals live in Big Cypress?

Anhingas, egrets, and herons are found in plentiful numbers feeding, displaying courtship feathers, and nesting in and among the cypress trees. Occasionally, one can witness river otter, bobcats, black bear, and the endangered Florida panther on the Preserve’s back roads and trails.

What elusive animal lives in the Big Cypress National Preserve?

The Pinelands found in the Big Cypress National Preserve have a hydroperiod of about 20-60 days a year. South Florida slash pine is the dominant overstory species.

Do alligators live in cypress swamps?

Cypress Swamps They have very wide bases and “knees” that grow from their roots and stick up out of the water. Animals like white-tailed deer, minks, raccoons, pileated woodpeckers, purple gallinules, egrets, herons, alligators, frogs, turtles, and snakes are often found in cypress swamps.

Are there alligators in Big Cypress National Preserve?

Alligators can be found in several areas of the Preserve, while there has been only one recorded sighting of a crocodile. Primarily, crocodiles are found near Key Largo, and in Florida Bay.

How is the Big Cypress Swamp important to Florida?

Freshwater to the Sea. The freshwaters of the Big Cypress Swamp, essential to the health of the neighboring Everglades, support the rich marine estuaries along Florida’s southwest coast. Protecting over 729,000 acres of this vast swamp, Big Cypress National Preserve contains a mixture of tropical and temperate plant communities…

What kind of plants live in Big Cypress Swamp?

The big cypress swamp, much of which is in Big Cypress National Preserve, is mostly composed of these types of communities. Other plants growing in the understory of big cypress swamp, are swamp fern, spikerush and marsh fleabane.

How big is the Big Cypress National Preserve?

Protecting over 729,000 acres of this vast swamp, Big Cypress National Preserve contains a mixture of tropical and temperate plant communities that are home to a diversity of wildlife, including the elusive Florida panther. Read More.

Are there river otters in the Cypress Swamp?

On the perimeter of the domes and strands, and in sparsely populated areas of cypress, the water levels may drop considerably during the very driest time of the year, but the ground will usually remain damp. River otters can be found in the freshwater areas of the preserve especially in the cypress swamp.