S6 E14: Emma's Ultimate Guide to National Parks: Everglades

Now, I know some of you fancy yourselves amphibian experts, and you might be thinking, Wait a minute, Emma. Crocodiles are found in southern Africa, the East Indies, Southeast Asia, Northern Australia, and South America. And alligators are found in North America and China. Only in the Yangtze River to be exact. And you would be mostly right. And if you consider yourself particularly well versed in marine biology, you might also be thinking, Emma.

Alligators live in fresh water. Bottlenose dolphins and lemon sharks prefer the seasoned soup of salty seas. And again. You would be mostly right. You might also be keen to the fact that deer are Well, land-loving mammals. They love all the land. You can find them in deserts, tundras, forests, mountainsides, and yes, the occasional marsh. But no way, no how are they going to be hanging out near dolphins, let alone pythons purchased at a pet store?

Because first of all, the Everglades is often referred to as a river of grass, which Sounds like yet another opposite day sort of idea,'cause how could grass be a river? But that's actually what it looks like. Out in front of me, I see a giant flooded field where there's enough water to cover all of the plants and and that lets the leaves flow and ripple in the currents. Sort of like a whole bunch of grass doing the wave.

Which I know might be kind of hard to picture, so I'll include a snapshot in the show notes. You know what? That gives me an idea. You see, remember how I said that the Everglades was an incredible ecosystem? That's not quite right. Because it's not just one ecosystem, it's nine. Sawgrass prairies, sloughs, mangrove swamps, cypress domes, hardwood forests, pine lands, marl prairies, esterine areas, and coastal areas.

I'm about to go on a fanboat tour, and I'm sure I'll spot a bunch of these unique structures. I think it would be really good scientific practice to try and document as many of them as I see. So, number one, the one we just took a picture of, is a sawgrass press. A sawgrass prairie is made up of a type of plant called a sedge that looks very similar to grass or brushes, but it has a sharp serrated edge that looks like you guessed it, a tiny saw.

A quick way to remember the difference is this round. Bedges have edges, rushes are round, grasses have knees that bend to the ground. This iconic wetland system is a crucial part of the Everglades that provides a habitat for wading birds, alligators, and countless other species. While we are still on relatively dry land, thought I'd just turn around and get a picture of another ecosystem. The Marl Prairie.

Marl prairies are slightly less deep than sawgrass prairies. They're made of limestone bedrock, fresh water, and more sawgrass that flows seamlessly into the deeper river of grass. They're homes for algae and plankton and I think that's my boat in the distance. Mm-hmm.

And no, no, not the kind of hammock that you might be thinking of with the cloth and the trees and the sleeping This sort of hammock is an island made of tropical hardwood trees that rise above the sawgrass. They're like fortresses made of tree roots and trunks and branches that shelter a diversity of wildlife. Remember that tiny deer I mentioned? Well that deer is a key deer, and it loves to swim from hammock to hammock looking for tasty greenery to munch on and safety.

I think the sound of the fanboat will probably spook any nearby deer deeper into the hammocks, and well, that's exactly what they're for. Hmm. You know, I'm not totally sure, but I think we just switched ecosystems again. Like just now, right this moment. Maybe maybe I'll ask the captain. Uh excuse me Uh Captain I just wondering is this a slough? Oh, uh excuse me, uh Captain? Do you know is is this a slough? Uh um I I I I said excuse me Captain is at this water is it a slough? Is it a s-

Pardon? Oh okay. That was abrupt. It's a

This, by the way, never a good idea in any ecosystem. Invasive species like this can cause delicate systems to fall out of bounds, and that's exactly what the pythons have a knack for doing. That said, it's not just irresponsible snake parents who are to blame. Believe it or not, in 1992, Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 storm, destroyed a snake breeding facility, setting hundreds of captive pythons free.

Which I know sounds a lot like the plot of a really bad action movie, but it's actually completely, totally tr! True, it's true. Wow, that is so fast when he does.

Sloughs are made up of freshwater, so they are very frequently frequented by our amphibian friends, the alligators. Speaking of which, one ecosystem I won't likely get to see is called a Cypress Dome. It's a small circular swamp with cypress trees growing in a ring around it. And the reason that I won't be seeing it is well, because it's the preferred real estate of mama alligators rearing their young.

The alligators even work to arrange their domes by digging and moving silt to adjust the water levels just to their liking. You can kind of think of them like a smelly, muddy, extremely dangerous nursery. Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! I know what those are! I know what those are!

Sorry, I know this is happening so fast, but there's so much ecological diversity here. It's wild. So To my right, a little far afield, I can see a stand of poplar and ash, which can only mean that that ecosystem is a hardwood forest. Hardwood forests are a haven for the Everglades incredible birds like egrets and barred owls. Ooh, oh, Earth Rangers! Earth Rangers! I can see the twisty, knobby, distinctive roots of a mangrove tree. Oh, and another! And an and another? This is a mangrove swamp.

If we have arrived in the mangrove swamps, that can mean only one thing. We're headed into saltier water.

There's lemon sharks- There's there's lemon sharks! Stop!

And they signal that we have entered yet another ecosystem. An estuarin area. Estuar in areas get their name from the word estuary, which is a tidal inlet. Basically where water from the ocean enters with the tide and mixes with fresh water. In this case, Lake Okeechobee, the main body of water that flows through the park.

These areas where freshwater meets salt water create something called brackish water, a mixture of the two that provides a dynamic habitat for really unique marine species. And one in particular I'm really, really looking forward to meeting. I don't want to give it away, but I will give you a hint. Do you remember how I said earlier that the Everglades was home to an underwater cow?

I was being a little cheeky, but the incredible creature I've traveled past eight different ecosystems to meet is often called a sea cow. That said, it's actually much closer related to elephants. Hey, I have an idea. While we're waiting to get to our last ecosystem, why don't we play a game of who am I?

I brought all of my scuba gear because I'm really hoping that I'll be able to spot some underwater. Now, safety note. It's totally safe to dive around manatees. They're extremely gentle herbivores. It's really important to only dive in designated areas and to never touch them. Like so many of the park's unique residents, they're also endangered, and we have to be extra careful with them.

Ah, this is better. The slowing. Slowing down. Cap. You thank you for the ride. But this is where I leave ya. Um Yeah, so just going to um lift this tank. You could help me if you want it. No? Okay. I'll j I'll do it.

That's when they dig their tails into the ocean floors and create a circle enclosure of like dust in the water. The fish inside of the enclosure get super confused and they leap out of the water right into the dolphin's mouth. They are so intelligent. Yep.

I am so glad I got to share this journey with you and to do some proper scientific documentation along the way. I'll make sure to put all of my picks up on the episode page. Hopefully even a manatee video if my dive is successful. Oh, before I go, I think I can squeeze in one more national park visit before I need to get back to my regular duties as a wildlife reporter. So this is your last chance to send me your suggestions on which park I should visit.

Share your ideas in the comments in the Earth Rangers app. And hey, if you encounter a unique ecosystem, I would love to see it too. It's important to document and identify all of the ecosystems, animals, and vegetation we encounter. Ask your parents permission to snap a pick of ecosystems that you've identified and upload it on the app. See you later, alligators. After a while, crocodiles. Time to flee, humanities, and keep on ranging!