All 4 in 3 days here: ~30%
Big Cypress National Preserve
🇺🇸 United States
North America, United States 778 spp. recorded
Big Cypress National Preserve is a vast wetland sanctuary in southern Florida, protecting a sprawling mosaic of freshwater swamps, cypress strands, and pine flatwoods. Visitors walk along elevated boardwalks and muddy woodland trails through the soggy landscape to experience a subtropical wilderness defined by slow-moving water and dense trees.
26.027° N 81.103° W
🦜 Nature
342 Species sighted
90,518 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Jul Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 487 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 3 in 3 days here: ~10%
Recent sightings in Big Cypress National Preserve
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
55Jan
64Feb
67Mar
73Apr
70May
67Jun
77Jul
67Aug
57Sep
67Oct
72Nov
61Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Kirby Storter Roadside Park & Boardwalk
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Brown Anole~90%+20%
Florida Redbelly Turtle~80%+40%
Florida Softshell Turtle~80%+20%
American Alligator~80%-10%
Banded Water Snake~80%+20%
Florida Green Watersnake~80%+40%
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher~70%+10%
Red-bellied Woodpecker~70%≈
Cuban Treefrog~70%+20%
Florida Cottonmouth~70%-10%
American Crow~60%-10%
Great Egret~60%-20%
-
Monument Lake campground
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Oasis Visitor Center
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
H.P. Williams Wayside Park
-
Halfway Creek Loop Canoe Trail
Daily sight. prob.vs avg- American Alligator~90%≈
Northern Curly-tailed Lizard~90%+40%- Brown Anole~70%≈
- Florida Softshell Turtle~50%-10%
- Florida Green Watersnake~50%+10%
- Cuban Treefrog~50%≈
- Florida Cottonmouth~50%-30%
White-tailed Deer~40%+10%
Southern Toad~40%-10%- Great Egret~40%-40%
Turkey Vulture~40%-40%- Florida Redbelly Turtle~40%≈
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Free
Tourism
Medium
Typical stay
1
dayTrails
Easy
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Excellent
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
ExcellentHow rich is the wildlife?
5.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 536
🐒 Mammals 96
🦎 Reptiles 94
🐸 Amphibians 52
778 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
49 Threatened 168 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
3.9
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
74% 📊
Coverage (154 species at ≥5% of 778 in the inventory)
20% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (9 bird, 3 reptile)
50% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
88 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
9 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
38 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.3
Climate Pleasant High
Entrance Free High
Tourism High Low
Trails Easy High
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
We watched as one large gator swam towards the turtle, which calmly dove down deeper as the alligator swam over top of it.
We saw several male Anhingas, two or three species of egrets, and tri-colored herons.
I’m pretty sure you haven’t seen the last of the Cardinal Airplant for the forseeable future.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Big Cypress National Preserve?
778 species
Big Cypress National Preserve has 778 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are American Alligator (about 90%), Great Egret (about 80%), Turkey Vulture (about 80%), Florida Cottonmouth (about 80%) and American Crow (about 80%). Among mammals, the most-seen is Fox Squirrel (about 40%); among amphibians, Southern Toad (about 50%).
When is the best time to visit Big Cypress National Preserve for wildlife?
October to December
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 60% in August.
Can you see an American Alligator in Big Cypress National Preserve?
Yes
About 90% of wildlife watchers report an American Alligator sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 2,221 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April and December (over 90%).
Can you see an American Black Bear in Big Cypress National Preserve?
Yes
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an American Black Bear sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 66 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June and August (about 50%).
Can you see a Mountain Lion in Big Cypress National Preserve?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mountain Lion sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 62 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is October (about 40%).
Can you see a West Indian Manatee in Big Cypress National Preserve?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a West Indian Manatee sighting in Big Cypress National Preserve on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February (about 40%).
Where in Big Cypress National Preserve is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Kirby Storter Roadside Park & Boardwalk
The richest sighting zone is around Kirby Storter Roadside Park & Boardwalk, followed by Monument Lake campground and Oasis Visitor Center, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Big Cypress National Preserve good for wildlife watching?
4.2 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Big Cypress National Preserve rates 4.2/5: 91st of 316 parks worldwide and 1st in North America. 47 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
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