The Schaus swallowtail is a large, colorful butterfly endemic to South Florida.
University of Florida/Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences image
The most abundant park animals are insects including dragonflies, butterflies, tree hoppers, golden orb spiders and thousands of others that make the islands their home.
The Schaus swallowtail is a large and colorful butterfly, see image above, that is endemic to South Florida. The state listed the butterfly as an endangered species in 1975. It was listed federally in 1984 when estimates showed only 70 or fewer adults remaining. In recent years the population declined so severely that emergency actions were required to try to prevent this species from going extinct. Visit here to learn more about Schaus Swallowtail conservation efforts.
The following list includes insects documented in the park. They are sorted alphabetically by common name. The list is not exhaustive. Sightings of species not on this list may be submitted to the webmaster. The horseshoe crab is included here because it is not a true crab and is more closely related to spiders.
