Crawling Creatures Found in the Everglades

crawling creaturesWhen you think of the Everglades, you probably think of alligators and airboats. But, what about the thousands of insects and other bugs?

Thousands of these creatures call the Everglades home. The Everglades is known for having large swarms of mosquitoes and biting flies. However, there’s also a lot of beautiful butterflies flying around, which are much less annoying and don’t bite.

All these creatures, even the annoying or scary-looking ones are a valuable part of the Everglades’ ecosystem.

Insects –Insects don’t have a backbone and they are a type of invertebrate. They have a hard-exterior body covering caused an exoskeleton. They are cold blooded and do not have lungs.  Insects account for about 90 percent of life forms on earth, so you know there’s a TON in the Everglades. It is unclear how many insects are in the Everglades, but entomologists have put together lists of bees, ants, butterflies and more. The South Florida Collections Management Center has more than 5,000 insect specimens found in the Everglades.

Arachnids – Spiders, mites, ticks, scorpions, pseudoscorpions, and whip scorpions can all be found in the Everglades.

Centipedes – They are long, thin arthropods and have fewer than 20 legs or as much as 300 legs despite the “centi” in their name. They live in the Everglades, but usually aren’t seen because they are mostly nocturnal.

Millipedes – These are commonly seen in the Everglades and they do not bite or sting. They are longer and thinner than centipedes and they can have anywhere from 36 to 400 legs. They are slower than centipedes.

Love insects, spiders or creatures with 400 legs? Come jump on an airboat tour! You’ll be surrounded by insects (and not even know it) during your adventure.

To book an airboat tour with Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours, call 800-368-0065  or visit our Everglades Airboat Tours page. Captain Mitch’s Everglades Airboat Tours are open seven days a week 8:30 a.m. to 4 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).