Animal Life From Florida
Florida’s rich and distinctive tropical and subtropical environment is inhabited by a huge and varied wildlife population; the rarer forms, such as panthers and crocodiles, are fully protected. Approximately 100 species of mammal are found in the state, including deer, puma, bobcat, boar, black bear, armadillo, otter, mink, and gray fox; smaller animals are also numerous. Manatees (sea cows) are found along the coast and in warm inland waters, and several species of porpoises and dolphins lend their distinctive charm to the clear coastal waters.
More than 400 species and subspecies of birds have been identified; land birds include the turkey, quail, dove, eagle, hawk, owl, and most smaller birds common to the southeastern states, while such coastal birds as the gull, brown pelican, sandpiper, osprey, and cormorant are also numerous. Freshwater and marsh birds include the gallinule (marsh hen), duck, goose, coot, egret, heron, ibis (stork), and flamingo. There are vast natural rookeries in the Everglades, and numerous wildlife refuges are maintained for the protection of migratory birds.
The alligator is the king of Florida reptiles, its role as a builder of water holes being vital to southern Florida’s ecology, while the crocodile still inhabits part of the Everglades National Park. The 40 species of snakes in the state include the nation’s four poisonous types: the coral, rattlesnake, moccasin, and copperhead (the latter restricted to limited areas of northern Florida). Turtles, tortoises, lizards, and frogs are also abundant.
Florida’s 4,000,000 acres (1,600,000 hectares) of water (of which some 2,800,000 acres are inland) contain more than 700 species of fish and shellfish. Common saltwater varieties are bluefish, pompano, flounder, mackerel, mullet, trout, redfish, snapper, grouper, snook, sailfish, tarpon, shad, weakfish, bonefish, marlin, and shark. Others include crawfish, oysters, stone and blue crabs, clams, and shrimp. The largemouth black bass is the state’s foremost freshwater species, while others include bream (bluegill), sunfish, speckled perch, and catfish.
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