The Everglades is home to so many mammals including felines like the bobcat. Bobcats are one of two native cat species that call southern Florida their home. Bobcats are common in Everglades unlike the Florida panther.

Bobcats are not endangered. They are mainly nocturnal creatures but can be spotted during daylight. In the Everglades, bobcats have been seen walking around Bear Lake Trail, Snake Bight Trail, and the main Park road.

Bobcats can live in various types of habitats such has cypress swamps, prairies, hardwood hammocks, and pine rocklands. In one day, an adult bobcat can travel anywhere from 5 to 50 miles looking for food. For food, the bobcat eats small mammals (squirrels, opossums, rodents), birds, and fish.

Bobcats are much smaller than the Florida panther.  They coexist in the Park together. The bobcat is short-tailed (“bobbed” tail) feline with a spotted, red-gold fur coat. They have fringed fur on the sides of their head. They can weight anywhere from 13 to 35 pounds, and they can grow up to 50 inches in length.  Bobcats can live up to 14 years in the wild.

Bobcats don’t just call Florida home. They have been known to live in Canada and all the way down to Central America.

The bobcat will stay in a den it creates in a tree, cave, or open shelter. Often, bobcats have more than one den spread across different areas, in case they need shelter.  A female bobcat will have one to two kittens in a litter. Bobcat mating season is from August to March.

Bobcats usually will not approach a human. For your safety, it’s best to leave a bobcat alone while in the wild or the Everglades if you spot one.

Come on an airboat tour and see if you can spot a bobcat walking around during daylight!

Captain Mitch’s Everglades Airboat Tours has been giving tours to in the Everglades for more than 30 years.

To book a tour. Click our Everglades airboat tour page or call 800-368-0065.. We are open seven days a week 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. If paying by cash, adults cost $40 (plus tax) and children 12 and under cost $20 (plus tax. If paying by credit card, adults cost $45 (plus tax) and children cost $25 (plus tax).

We wanted to share some information with you about one of the best preserved, pine rocklands in Florida: Long Pine Key Trail.

Long Pine Key Trail is not currently being maintained in order to preserve the habitat in the area for the Florida leafwing and Bartram’s scrub hairstreak butterflies and their host plants. These butterflies are native to south Florida.

This area holds about 80 percent of all remaining pine rockland in Florida. Pine rocklands have been disappearing since the last 1800s due to urban development, agricultural expansion and fragmentation.

This habitat has a lot of plant biodiversity and is home to several endangered species such as the eastern indigo snake and the Florida panther, which is Florida’s state mammal.

The trail is open, but you should enter with caution as the train isn’t maintained meaning there is likely branches, vegetation, flora, and fauna that may be in your path or affect your walk or hike.

Long Pine Key is over 22 miles of connecting trails. Bicycles are allowed but the path is not wheelchair accessible. Many trails start at the Long Pine Key Campground, which is seven mikes from the main park entrance at the Ernest Coe Visitor Center. You can also park on road shoulders near gates where the trails meet paved roads.

After exploring the Long Pine Key Trails, you may want to get off your feet and see the Everglades in a different way… on an airboat. An airboat tour will give you a different view and perspective of the Park like no other.

Captain Mitch’s Private Everglades Airboat Tours has been giving tours to in the Everglades for more than 30 years. It’s an experience you’ll never forget.

To book a tour. Click our Everglades airboat tour page or call 800-368-0065.. We are open seven days a week 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. If paying by cash, adults cost $40 (plus tax) and children 12 and under cost $20 (plus tax. If paying by credit card, adults cost $45 (plus tax) and children cost $25 (plus tax).

On an airboat tour with Captain Mitch, you’ll be able to see beautiful surroundings from a different point of view. Before your visit, you may have questions about the Everglades or airboat tours. Below, we wanted to share some questions and answers with you, so you can have a great time and be prepared for your trip on an airboat in the Everglades.

Q: Are the crocodiles and alligators aggressive?
A:  Alligators and crocodiles are unpredictable; crocodiles are known to be a bit more aggressive than alligators when provoked. It’s best to keep a safe distance (15 to 20 feet) when viewing any wildlife.

Q: Are pets allowed?
A: Pets are allowed in parking lots, campgrounds, boats, maintained ground of a public facility, on public roadways, and on roadside campgrounds and picnic areas in the Everglades. They are not allowed on trails or wilderness areas or on an airboat.

Q: How much is an airboat tour with Captain Mitch?

A: At Captain Mitch’s Everglades Private Airboat Tours, if paying by cash, adults cost $40 (plus tax) and children 12 and under cost $20 (plus tax. If paying by credit card, adults cost $45 (plus tax) and children cost $25 (plus tax).

Q: When are the airboats open for tours?

A: Captain Mitch’s is open daily 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Q: Where are the airboat tours located?

A: Captain Mitch is located at 30999 Tamiami Trail E Everglades, FL 34139.

Explore the Everglades on an Airboat

An airboat tour is a wonderful way to experience the Everglades. Book a tour with Captain Mitch’s airboat tours today. Captain Mitch has been giving tours in the Everglades for more than 30 years.

To book a private Everglades airboat tour, click our Everglades airboat tour page or call 800-368-0065.

Thanksgiving is long gone, but wild turkeys are around all year! When you think of Everglades’ wildlife you probably think of alligators, the Florida panther and insects, but believe it or not, wild turkeys call the Everglades home too. In fact, Alaska is the only state without wild turkeys.

The Florida Wild Turkey inhabits pinelands, cypress swamps, prairies, and hardwood hammocks in southern Florida. Due to extensive logging in the Everglades, along with hunting, the wild turkey appeared to have disappeared from the Everglades. However, since 2000, efforts have been put in place to increase the wild turkey population in the Everglades.

Wild turkeys can weigh between 20 and 25 pounds over average. They can adapt to many different environments. They live in many different climates. They are hunted as food by great horned owls and panthers in the Everglades.

Adult wild turkeys can be aggressive towards humans if they feel threatened or in self-defense.

Wild turkeys are strong and can run up to 25 miles per hour and can fly (domestic turkeys can’t fly because they are bred to be heavier for their meat.)

Wild turkeys are known to have great eyesight about three times better than a human’s eyesight. They are omnivores and can hunt on land or by air.

Want a chance to see a wild turkey roaming around the Everglades? Jump on an airboat ride. A private airboat tour gives you can opportunity to see a lot of wildlife from a safe distance so you won’t bother them and they won’t bother you.

Captain Mitch’s Private Everglades Airboat Tours has been giving tours to in the Everglades for more than 30 years. You’ll have so much fun and learn a lot too!

To book a tour, click our Everglades airboat tour page or call 800-368-0065.. We are open seven days a week 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. If paying by cash, adults cost $40 (plus tax) and children 12 and under cost $20 (plus tax. If paying by credit card, adults cost $45 (plus tax) and children cost $25 (plus tax).