Wildlife Conservation Helps
The Diverse Florida Keys Wildlife 

In the Everglades National Park and the Florida Keys wildlife is unusual, varied and even unique.

This is the only place the American crocodile lives within the United States.

It's also an area where a vast number of alligator reside and breed.

The diminutive key deer are only found in this region, with Big Pine Key being their primary residence.

Florida's official state animal, the endangered Florida panther also lives in dwindling numbers in the Everglades area.

Numerous rodents such as the endangered Key Largo woodrat, and the Lower Keys marsh rabbit along with opossum, skunk, and mink struggle to survive.






Larger mammals such as the bobcat, white tailed deer, lynx, and raccoon are losing their footing in this fragile ecosystem as man and animal jockey for ownership of land.

Many of the Florida Keys wildlife are threatened or endangered because nature, invasive species, disease, and man have played a negative role in their fate.

However, even as humans have been partially responsible for reducing the numbers of some of these endangered animals, we're now working to help restore them.

Greater awareness, protective legislative conservation measures, even controlled breeding programs are all helping some of the endangered species regain a foothold in nature.

Voluntourism programs and local community organizations are also working to help educate, protect and rehabilitate injured and ill wildlife.






Of course there are ongoing invasive species threats such as the python and constrictor problem that has created seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the Everglades National Park.

These snakes are responsible for an alarming decline in the number of birds, reptiles and mammals in the region.

On your vacation to the Florida Keys, if you've come in contact with any of the wildlife of Florida, please share your Florida pictures with us!

To read about some of the more interesting and unusual wildlife of Florida, please click on the following links below.




FLORIDA ALLIGATORS

Alligators are probably the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Florida. If you live here, you've heard all the jokes and comments about alligators being in your back yard ...







AMERICAN CROCODILE

The American crocodile is approximately a 100 million year old reptile. It predominantly lives in the deep south portion of Florida in brackish or saltwater while pythons and alligator ...







FLORIDA PANTHER

The designated animal for the State of Florida, the Florida panther was a sickly, scrawny, almost non-existent animal just a few short decades ago. Feared and hunted almost to extinction, to protect the







KEY DEER

Cute, tiny and totally unique to the Florida Keys are the beloved, endangered Florida Key deer. With their protected status, they have also lost their fear of humans and are extremely friendly and tame ...

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A Florida Keys vacation means a lot of different things to a lot of people. However, the ability to witness first hand some of the amazing Florida Keys wildlife is one of the reasons people come back year after year.

And yes Virginia, there really are alligators in our backyards!