Salt water marshes can be found in many areas along Florida's shoreline. A salt marsh is considered a transitional zone between terrestrial land and the open ocean. As such, expect to find a lower salt content than in the ocean itself, but still enough to be noticeable and for certain animals to flourish. Three animals which thrive in salt water marshes, according to the University of Florida Extension, are the American alligator, West Indian manatee and brown pelican.
The West Indian manatee can be found in moderate numbers, moving back and forth between salt water marshes and open ocean. These large, gray, leisurely mammals have been called sea cows, and can grow to a length of 10 feet, weighing 800 to 1,200 pounds. The manatee looks for shallow, slow-moving water to feed, especially where seagrass and other vegetation flourishes; the salt water marsh environment is perfect.
The West Indian manatee loves Florida during the winter, for obvious reasons, but it can range as far north as Massachusetts during the summer. With no natural enemies, these creatures can live 60 years or longer. Their main opponent has become recreational boat propellers, which can scar and even kill them when they wander into the propeller's path.
Once almost extinct, the American alligator has made an amazing comeback and now lives in numbers in the salt water marshes along the coasts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and particularly Florida. According to the National Geographic website, more than a million American alligators inhabit the coastal areas now, in large part to educational efforts intended to reduce demand for products such as alligator skin boots.
An alligator's natural lifespan can be 35 to 50 years. As the top predator in his environment, he feeds mainly on turtles, fish, snakes, small mammals and unfortunately, the occasional human who strays too close.
Unlike many pelicans, the brown pelican is not found on inland lakes,but makes his home in the marshy, coastal regions. When you see a pelican dive-bombing from the air to snatch food from the water, you know it is a brown pelican. The brown pelican can be identified by its dark body color, short legs, long bill with extensible food pouch beneath and large, heavy body.
Today, the bird exists in few enough numbers to have been placed on the United States endangered list, but enterprising birders have a good chance of observing the brown pelican in its natural habitat in many marshes around Florida.
