everglades

Here’s why snake hunters from across the U.S. are wading into the Florida Everglades

10:36am August 14, 2024

by Joe Hernandez

The annual Florida Python Challenge invites participants to catch and kill invasive Burmese pythons, which feed on the state's native animal population.

Flamingos at Jungle Island, a zoological theme park, in Miami in 2017. The long-legged pink birds were once common in Florida. But their striking feathers were prized decorations for ladies' hats, and they were thought to have been hunted out of existence

Florida's Long-Lost Wild Flamingos Were Hiding In Plain Sight

2:10pm March 06, 2018

by Nancy Klingener

Scientists thought Florida's native flamingo population had been hunted out of existence by the 19th century plume trade. A new study suggests the birds have been there all along.

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Old World climbing fern on a tree island in the Everglades surrounds LeRoy Rodgers of the South Florida Water Management District. Environmentalists say it's one of the worst invasive species the state has faced in a long time.

Invasive Fern In Florida Threatens To Take Down More Than Just Trees

6:45pm January 23, 2017

by Amy Green

The tenacious Old World climbing fern — native to Africa, Asia and Australia — is toppling trees as it swamps the state. It also threatens to derail a national wildlife refuge.

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University of Florida researchers recently published a paper showing that captured reptiles in 2009, 2011 and 2014 are Nile crocs.

National

Nile Crocodiles Found Near Miami, Researchers Confirm

5:48pm May 20, 2016

by Laura Wagner

Three crocodiles captured near Miami in 2009, 2011 and 2014 are indeed Nile crocodiles. They are bigger and far more aggressive than the American crocodiles that are native to the Florida Everglades.

Frank Mazzotti, a professor of wildlife biology and researcher with the Everglades environmental restoration team, has been studying alligators in the national park for more than a decade.

Honey, Who Shrank The Alligators?

8:32pm February 19, 2016

by Amy Green

For many, the alligator is the face of the Florida Everglades. But the reptiles are shrinking in size and population, a signal that the watershed might not be doing as well as it should.

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This is one of several canals that will be filled to slow the movement of water through the Everglades, restoring an ecosystem environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas called the "river of grass."

Once Parched, Florida's Everglades Finds Its Flow Again

9:52am February 19, 2016

by Greg Allen

The Everglades lost half its ecosystem after Tamiami Trail was built through the heart of the national park in the 1920s, cutting off water flow. Now, restoration efforts are finally taking effect.

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Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Ron Bergeron handles a snake as part of the Python Challenge in the Everglades.

Hunting Snakes In The Everglades To Protect Native Species

2:40pm January 17, 2016

by Greg Allen

Burmese pythons in the Everglades are taking a big toll on native wildlife. To combat their spread, the state is holding its second Python Challenge — a hunt expected to draw over 1,000 participants.

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