In the drowned habitats of Everglades it is not surprising to find
water-bound mammals such as the porpoise; or fish-eating amphibious
mammals such as the otter; or even land mammals, such as the raccoon,
that characteristically feed upon aquatic life. But to see mammals that
one ordinarily does not associate with water behaving as though they
were born to it is another matter. The white-tailed deer is an example.
It is so much a part of this watery environment that you will most
likely observe it far out in the glades, feeding upon aquatic plants or
bounding over the marsh. Very probably the deer you see was born on one
of the tree islands, and has never been out of sight of the sawgrass
river.
Many other mammals of Everglades are adapted to a semi-aquatic
existence. The park’s only representative of the hare-and-rabbit clan is
the marsh rabbit; smaller than its close relative, the familiar
cottontail of fields and woodlands, it is as comfortable in this wet
world as if it had webbed feet. So don’t be startled if you see a rabbit
swimming here! The park’s rodents include the marsh rice rat and
round-tailed muskrat, also at home in a watery environment.
The playful otter, though it may travel long distances overland, is a
famous water-lover. Lucky is the visitor who sees a family of these
large relatives of the weasel! The otter’s smaller cousin, the
everglades mink, is also a denizen of the marsh and a predator in the
food web; but you are not likely to see this wary animal.
Raccoons and opossums, adaptable creatures that they are, live in all
the park’s environments—except in the air and under water. Their diets
are as wide-ranging as their habitat. The raccoon, though it has a taste
for aquatic animals such as fish, frogs, and crayfish, also consumes
small land vertebrates and various plant foods. The opossum eats
virtually anything in the animal kingdom that it can find and subdue, as
well as a wide variety of plant materials.