National Wildlife Refuges in Florida

Florida offers quite a mix of National Wildlife Refuges, covering everything from beachfront/islands to dry land, deep woods to swamp hammocks and Everglades habitat. Most of the wildlife refuges were established to protect species of mammals and birds who have been hunted almost to extinction over the years. Some areas were established to protect threatened plant species. Because of the number of native Florida species that are on the Endangered Species List, some areas of various of the National Wildlife Refuges in Florida are off-limits to the general public.

Leatherback turtle at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge

A nesting Leatherback turtle

A panther at Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge

A panther at the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge

National Wildlife Refuges in Florida

Looking across the lagoon at Pelican Island on Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge

Map showing the locations of Florida's National Wildlife Refuges

Dense hardwoods with a palmetto understory at Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge

Slideshow photos courtesy of TheArmchairExplorer, CCA-by-SA 3.0 License
Panther photo courtesy of the US Fish & Wildlife Service
Photo of the nesting Leatherback turtle courtesy of NOAA
Map courtesy of Cartesia MapArt US Terrain