Biscayne National Park

Biscayne National Park is a national park located south of Miami, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. The park preserves Biscayne Bay and its offshore barrier reefs. Ninety-five percent of the park is water, and the shore of the bay is the location of an extensive mangrove forest. The park covers 172,971 acres and includes Elliott Key, the park's largest island and northernmost of the true Florida Keys, formed from fossilized coral reef. The park protects four distinct ecosystems: part of the Florida mangroves along the shoreline, the shallow waters of Biscayne Bay, the coral limestone keys, and the offshore Florida Reef. The park is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including over 200 species of fish, pelagic birds, whales, and hard corals, as well as 16 endangered species, including Schaus' swallowtail butterflies, smalltooth sawfish, manatees, and green and hawksbill sea turtles. The park's islands and shoreline have a rich cultural history, with evidence of human habitation dating back 10,000 years