List of invasive species in the Everglades

The Everglades are a massive watershed in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida that drains overflow from the vast shallow Lake Okeechobee that is in turn fed by the Kissimmee River.

In the 20th century, Florida experienced a population surge unparalleled in the U.S., accompanied by rapid urban expansion made possible by draining portions of the Everglades.

[2] Approximately 26 percent of all fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals in South Florida are exotic—more than in any other part of the United States—and the region hosts one of the highest numbers of exotic plant species in the world.

Mid-20th century biology texts about invading species reflected more complacency than alarm, as contemporary wisdom about them assumed the host environment would be largely immune.

[6] Everglades biologist Thomas Lodge writes that in the 1960s, evidence of non-native plant and animal life in South Florida was present but not particularly "worthy of notice."

State, local, and federal government agencies spend millions of dollars to rid South Florida of invasive species and prevent more from entering the region.

A wildlife biologist and several construction workers near Homestead Air Force Base witnessed a scene where several iguanas sunning themselves in a canal were attacked by a spectacled caiman, to the surprise of all.

Twenty-one species have been imported and released to act as biological control agents: to impede the growth of invasive plants or counter the effects of other insects.

Others, such as the Madagascan hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa) and European cricket (Acheta domesticus) are sold as pets or fishing bait, and are then released into backyards.

[45] Similarly, aquatic invertebrates such as mussels, clams, snails, and melania find their ways into local waters from the bottoms of ships or in bilge holds.

The extensive network of canals throughout South Florida allows many species to disperse more readily than they would under natural conditions as many regions in the Everglades go dry each year or experience extended drought periods.

Wild animals native to other parts of the U.S. have also been established, including nine-banded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarondi).

[56] The FWC has furthermore allowed hunters permits to capture Reptiles of Concern in a specific hunting season in wildlife management areas,[57] euthanize the animals immediately and sell the meat and hides.

A stand of tall trees with white trunks along a canal or lake bed
An image looking up into tall cypress trees that are covered in vines that spread out toward the bottom
Branch of a shrub showing elliptical leaves and bunches of green and red berries
Branch of a shrub showing elliptical leaves and bunches of green and red berries
Tall conifer with dark green needles and thin branches and trunk
Shrub with rachis network of leaves and branches and small leaves
A plant floating on the surface of water, showing orbicular curved leaves and purple flowers
A plant floating on the surface of water, showing orbicular curved leaves and purple flowers
A plant floating on the surface of water, showing ridged rosette-like leaves
Flat shallow body of water with an airboat in the background and two people standing on it holding plants they apparently pulled from the water, which in the foreground is full of plants with long strands and short even pinnate formations
Flat shallow body of water with an airboat in the background and two people standing on it holding plants they apparently pulled from the water, which in the foreground is full of plants with long strands and short even pinnate formations
Tree trunk covered by a vine with large deltoid-shaped leaves
Short tree with full bushy leaves of indiscriminate shape
Short tree with full bushy leaves of indiscriminate shape
Shrub showing short elliptical leaves and small pink flowers and white greenish buds
Shrub showing short elliptical leaves and small pink flowers and white greenish buds
Twig covered with small, fat X-shaped insects
A colored drawing of the top-view of a black beetle with a yellow stripe about halfway down its body
Strands of water grass with five hard-shelled snails at the surface, some of them covered with algae
Side view of a brown ridged bivalve with a noticeable apex and white flecks
Human hands holding a long brown spotted fish with 11 ridges in its spiked dorsal fin and long pectoral and pelvic fins
A cooler holding a dark fish with a cylindrical body, four long barbels that look like whiskers, and stumped fins
Partial shot of a think coiled snake with distinct brown markings and its mouth open to reveal pink tissue and no teeth
Tree branch with a large green lizard with a prominent wattle, spikes down its back, long claws, thousands of distinct green and brown scales, and bands of brown and green on its tail. A smaller browner lizard of the same kind sits on the larger one's tail
Long lizard with a pointed triangular head and green-brown scales interrupted by yellow oval formations in striped patterns and a thick tail straddling two logs
Two birds sitting on a tree branch with light breasts, green feathers on the side and back, and thick short beaks
Two pigs with long brown hair in a grassy area bordered in the background by overgrowth
Black cat with white chest and feet eating a dead bird
Two dark grey rats with long bald tails and short rounded ears eating a piece of corncob in an artificial habitat strewn with hay