Produced by the
Division of Publications
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C. 1988
_About This Book_
Here is the story of the plants and animals of the Everglades, this
country’s subtropical kingdom. Plants and animals found nowhere else in
the 50 states are found here in abundance, though in an increasingly
perilous state. In this handbook, first published in 1972, author and
researcher Jean Craighead George brings to the telling of this story
long years of study and understanding. Checklists and glossaries at the
back buttress her account of the natural history of this national park.
National Park Handbooks, compact introductions to the great natural and
historic places administered by the National Park Service, are published
to support the National Park Service’s management programs at the parks
and to promote understanding and enjoyment of the parks. Each is
intended to be informative reading and a useful guide before, during,
and after a park visit. More than 100 titles are in print. This is
Handbook 143. You may purchase the handbooks through the mail by writing
to Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office,
Washington, DC 20402.
_Library of Congress card number: 73-600077_
ISBN 0-912627-29-8
★GPO: 1987—181-917/60504
Preface vii
America’s Subtropical Wonderland 1
Pine Rockland 7
Tree-Island Glades 12
Mangrove Swamp 16
Florida Bay and the Coastal Prairie 21
Big Cypress Swamp 26
Plant-and-Animal Communities 29
Tropical Hardwood Hammock 30
Cypress Head 35
Bayhead 38
Willow Head 40
Web of Life in the Marsh 42
Alligator Hole in the Glades 45
Discovering Everglades Plants and Animals 49
Air Plants 52
Mammals 59
Birds 64
Reptiles and Amphibians 70
Fishes 72
Animals without Backbones 75
Indians of the Everglades 77
Appendix 80
Glossary 81
For Reading and Reference 84
Rare and Endangered Animals 86
Checklist of Mammals 87
Checklist of Birds 88
Checklist of Reptiles and Amphibians 96
Checklist of Trees 98
[Illustration: EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK]
[Illustration: Alligator nest]