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    • Animals

Animals

NPS image by Yasmeen Smalley

The park is home to an incredible diversity of tropical/subtropical animals and plants including over 500 species of reef fish, a suite of neo-tropical water birds and migratory habitat, and approximately 20 threatened and endangered species including sea turtles, manatees and the largest known populations of the Schaus' swallowtail butterfly and Florida semaphore cactus, Some of these species are in the northern limits of their ranges.

The park preserves unique marine habitat and nursery environments that sustain diverse native fishery resources and support world-class fishing for spiny lobster, snapper-grouper complex, tarpon and bonefish.