There are
things in the world of the Everglades that even a common venturer such
as me cannot say he has had an opportunity to experience first-hand.
For one creature that I have yet to see out in the wild, the challenge
is to survive while its very food is endangered. It is part of the sad
old story of the Everglades, how humankind ignorantly drained its waters
to benefit development and how that had a ripple effect throughout the
biological order of things.
To me, however, this creature’s unique story succinctly demonstrates
the bad effect of people’s actions on the Everglades, with only
three plot elements to it (it would make a bad movie, but it’s
a great Everglades story).
The snail kite, which I joke about being neither a snail nor a flying
toy, is notable in its rarity and for its eating habits. You see, the
snail kite, a gorgeous blue-black bird of prey (a kite was first a soaring
bird of prey, not a soaring toy; a species of kite is even mentioned
in the Bible), dines on a species of snail that had at one time been
a popular meal for many Everglades animals. This raptor (a broader term
for birds of prey and birds such as vultures) depends on the snail so
much that we cannot consider one without mentioning the other (like
fish and chips). What makes the snail kite different, though, is that
this all-natural escargot is its breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner, and
blue plate special. Florida’s snail kite preys on only the apple
snail, which is an endangered gastropod of the Everglades.
Now I can appreciate someone young wondering: If the apple snail is
endangered, then why is it a bad thing that there are not many snail
kites? The more snail kites there are, the more in trouble the apple
snail will be, right? That’s not exactly how it works, however.
It is complex, but let me draw a simple sketch in words: First, I should
note that there are species of apple snails and other types of kites
in other places in the world. These two species, however, demonstrate
the problem in the Everglades. The snail kite would simply have never
existed in the Everglades if there were not apple snails, since the
snail is its essential food source. If the Everglades weren’t
so affected by our movement into them, had they not been drained of
water and struggled as they still do today with low water levels, the
apple snail would not be disappearing.
The unique breeding habit of the apple snail is, in a way, its downfall.
Apple snail eggs are attached to the stems of sawgrass, above the waterline.
The moment that they hatch, newborns drop into the safety and comfort
of the water below. But, since water levels are lowered, the apple snails
are at risk. The American Museum of Natural History put it this way
in their exhibition, Endangered!: “To survive, the youngsters
must enter the water immediately — drought and lowered water tables
are bad news for apple snails.” In fact, the apple snail is a
very important part of the order of things in the Everglades, due to
its popularity as a food source (sad as that may seem to snail-lovers).
It is even a favorite snack for American alligators.
Three plot elements in this Everglades story:
first, the water table becomes abnormally low, which puts the apple
snails at a disadvantage, and their number plummets, and last, snail
kites are an at-risk species. The snail kite might, out of necessity,
find other sources of food, but, as evidenced by their demise, this
is a long shot. While the snail kite is a picky eater, it’s not
very gracious of us to make them a dead species for being so picky.
This bird cannot turn to other prey with such a specialized beak, I’d
gather, and it will be a shame if it has to. It would be an even greater
shame if I, and you, can never get a chance to see these birds in flight.
At least that’s how I feel about it. But, I love a story about
an underdog.
Visit the American Museum of Natural History’s
online exhibition, “Endangered! Exploring a World at Risk,”
at: www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/Endangered/gator2.html.
For more information on the world of the Everglades, try a library,
such as the Broward County Northwest Regional Library in Coral Springs,
or visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website, at www.fws.gov.
There you’ll find plenty of information on the Everglades habitat
and creatures. But don’t spend all of your time indoors: the best
place for you to be is outdoors.
Will "Gator" Wade
is a freelance writer and adventurer with interests in wildlife, history
and dangerous pursuits.
He is currently based in South Florida.