Everglades: One of the largest wetland ecosystems that harbours Florida Panthers 

For people around the world, Florida is synonymous to sunshine, joyrides and beaches. But there’s much more to this US state than these. Did you know it is home to Everglades, one of the largest wetland ecosystems in the world? It’s located towards the southern side of the Florida and harbours the world-famous Florida panthers.  

Everglades: A bird’s eye view 
Everglades is a naturally formed tropical wetland. It stretches from central Florida to its southernmost tip and approximately covers an area of two million acres. Yes, it’s that huge! In fact, it comprises of the southern half of a large drainage basin that gets water from two surrounding water bodies – the Kissimmee River and the Lake Okeechobee. And guess what? Certain water activities from here lead to the formation of Everglades. 

What’s interesting is that, to conserve the diverse ecosystem of the Everglades, it is now part of the Everglades National Park and is maintained by the US government. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a wetland of global significance.  

In case you have been wondering about its unique name, it was coined by British surveyor John Gerard de Brahm who mapped the coast of Florida in 1773 and called the area ‘River Glades.’ This was later turned into Everglades by cartographers in 1823. A native tribe of the region named Seminole identifies it as Pahokee meaning ‘Grassy Water.’  

Formation of the Everglades 
As most people know, Florida is surrounded by the ocean. But its most famous geographical wonder is formed due to the rain. Okay, so here’s what happens. Florida, during its monsoon season experiences up to 60 inches of rain on an average, which in turn leads the shallow Lake Okeechobee to overflow. This extra water reaches the surrounding land area that is made up of a wide, underground limestone shelf. This water, moving along the shelf, in turn forms the Kissimmee River. Now, here’s the interesting part. Instead of a fast-moving water, its pace is really slow considering it has to cover an area that is 60 miles wide and 100 miles long. In fact, unless you observe really close, you can’t even see the water moving, that too only half a mile each day. And this slow-pacing water while moving through miles of swamps, sawgrass marshes, prairies, and forests lead to the formation of Everglades, also called the ‘River of Grass.’ So, if you really think about it, the Everglades never really stops growing. 

Home to diverse flora and fauna 
Everglades is the only ecosystem in the world that houses the sawgrass marsh, often preferred by its native alligators and crocodiles. The Florida Panther is also found widely in this region, apart from various kinds of snakes, manatees, crayfishes, and dolphins. There are also more than 350 species of birds living in the Everglades. Besides, unique water plants such as the bladderwort and spatterdock are also found here.