The Everglades: River of Grass

[Judi Lynn]

By Traci Pedersen, Live Science Contributor | June 22, 2018 09:57pm ET

The Everglades is an intricate system of subtropical wetlands, lakes and rivers, originally covering more than 4,000 square miles (10,000 square kilometers) from Lake Okeechobee to the southern tip of Florida. However, due to development, the Everglades has been reduced to less than half of that size, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.

While sometimes thought of as a giant swamp, the Everglades is technically a very slow-moving, shallow river. Because sawgrass marsh dominates this river, it was traditionally called the "River of Grass." In fact, Native Americans living in the area called it Pahayokee, meaning the "grassy waters." The subtropical climate in the area features hot and humid summers and mild winters. Around 80 percent of rainfall occurs in the summer, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The Everglades hosts a variety of diverse habitats and is home to unique wildlife, including almost 70 threatened and endangered species, such as the manatee, the American alligator, the sea turtle, the Florida panther and a variety of birds, according to Maven's Notebook. The Everglades National Park, established in 1947, protects the southern 20 percent of the original Everglades area; it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, UNESCO International Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar Wetland of International Importance.

Ecosystems
The Everglades contains several different ecosystems. These include the following:

More:
https://www.livescience.com/62903-everglades.html

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

1. Hmm

A slow moving river....pretty wild.