Spanning across almost 4 million acres in southern Florida, the Florida Everglades is home to an astonishing variety of wildlife. This important ecosystem is teeming with wildlife — in Everglades National Park alone, there are over 360 different species of birds, 300 fish, 50 reptiles, 40 mammals, and countless insect species. Rare and endangered species find refuge here as well, including the iconic manatee, American crocodile and Florida panther, as well as lesser known species like the Key Largo cotton mouse and Cape Sable seaside sparrow. The diverse habitats of the Everglades ecosystem — wet sawgrass prairies, mangrove swamps, dry pinelands, estuaries and others — provide needed habitat for Florida’s native wildlife, including some species that typically cannot be found anywhere else in the United States. The Florida Everglades truly is like nowhere else on Earth.

You can help conserve the Everglades by learning about the native wildlife that live within this unique ecosystem and the various threats facing these species. By participating in the Florida Python Challenge^® you can actively get involved by removing the invasive Burmese python from the Everglades. Stay tuned for more details!

To learn more about the native wildlife of the Florida Everglades, visit the National Park Service website.