Inside the four National Park regions of Everglades and Biscayne National Parks, Big Cypress National Preserve and Fort Jefferson National Monument, there exist 16 endangered and six threatened wildlife. Habitat loss and water flow change are the two biggest influences leading to endangerment.
Habitat destruction is only partly responsible for the decline of the Florida panther. Genetic inbreeding, shootings and mercury poisoning also are responsible.
The West Indian manatee, commonly referred to as a "sea cow," has been threatened by boat propellers, vandal attacks, poaching and habitat destruction.
Arctic peregrine falcons, Cape Sable sea sides, sparrows, snail (Everglade) kites, Southern bald eagles and wood storks all face endangerment in the Everglades. By studying the wood stork, scientists have discovered that there has been a decrease in all wading birds in the park since the 1930s by at least 90 percent.
The Key Largo cotton mouse and Key Largo wood rat are the two endangered rodents of the Everglades. Both are highly dependent upon the structure, composition and quality of tropical hardwood hammocks and remain endangered because of a substantial habitat loss.
American crocodiles and alligators, Atlantic ridley turtles, green turtles, hawksbill turtles and leatherback turtles are the threatened reptiles and amphibians of the Everglades. Many animals, such as alligators, build their nests at the high-water level and are destroyed when humans manipulate the water supplies.
The Schaus swallowtail butterfly is another species currently facing the threat of extinction in the Everglades. This butterfly was listed as a threatened species in 1976 as a result of the decrease of its tropical hardwood hammock habitat, mosquito control practices, and over-collecting.
