Juvenile alligators in the Everglades pile on top of each other at the edge of their water hole. (credit: National Geographic/Mat Goodman)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_67.jpg
Fire plays a critical role in the Everglades ecology, sending smoke rising high above the pine forest.(credit: National Geographic/Jake Hewitt)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_66.jpg
Long, wiry aerial roots firmly anchor red mangrove trees in the mud.(credit: National Geographic/Jake Hewitt)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_64.jpg
In the Everglades, Spanish moss, a bromeliad that hangs from trees, survives by trapping moisture and nutrients from the air and can endure dry periods by going dormant. (credit: National Geographic/Mat Goodman)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_58.jpg
In the wet season, much of the plant life in the Everglades' cypress forest flourishes. (credit: National Geographic/Jake Hewitt)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_59.jpg
Though a fire burning in the pine rockland ecosystem may seem destructive, these flames are essential for maintaining the balance of the Everglades. (credit: National Geographic/Jake Hewitt)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_65.jpg
Fire is crucial in the Everglades' pinelands as it prevents shade-tolerant hammock species from taking over, allowing fire-adapted pineland plants to thrive and ensuring the habitat can quickly regenerate. (credit: National Geographic/Jake Hewitt)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_49.jpg
The color contrast in Florida Bay's mangrove forests is due to tannin-rich freshwater from the coastal Everglades mixing with the clearer, deeper saltwater. (credit: National Geographic/Mat Goodman)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_61.jpg
Low-hanging clouds settle over the cypress forest of the Everglades in the early morning light. (credit: National Geographic/Mat Goodman)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_60.jpg
A blazing fire in the pine rockland forest of the Everglades sends visible heat waves shimmering through the air. (credit: National Geographic/Jake Hewitt)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_48.jpg
In the Everglades and beyond, mangroves form a vital bridge between water and land. (credit: National Geographic/Jake Hewitt)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_63.jpg
An endangered goliath grouper grows up in a mangrove nursery of Everglades National Park. (credit: National Geographic/Tom Fitz)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_04.jpg
An expert hunter, a river otter uses its long, sensitive whiskers to find fish in a murky pool. (credit: National Geographic/Jeff Reed)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_10.jpg
A bright orange lubber grasshopper tempts a yearling alligator at the edge of a pond in the Everglades.(credit: National Geographic/Mat Goodman)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_39.jpg
A river otter devours a successful catch. (credit: National Geographic/Jeff Reed)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_11.jpg
Bottlenose dolphins hunt for mullet during their annual migration through the coastal waters of Everglades National Park. (credit: National Geographic/Jeff Reed)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_05.jpg
In the Everglades, a gopher tortoise spends 80% of its time in its underground burrow. (credit: National Geographic/Jeff Reed)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_13.jpg
A brown pelican pursues a group of dolphins hunting for mullet. (credit: National Geographic/Jeff Reed)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_07.jpg
Bottlenose dolphins use mud-ringing to send the mullet flying into the air, improving the chances of a successful catch. (credit: National Geographic/Mat Goodman)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_06.jpg
Building its home, a gopher tortoise uses its paddle arms to excavate sand in the Florida scrub ecosystem. (credit: National Geographic/Jake Hewitt)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_12.jpg
Before the founding of Everglades National Park, during the height of the plume hunting trade, the feathers of a great blue heron were worth three times the price of gold.(credit: National Geographic/Mark Emery)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_16.jpg
The mangrove tree nursery serves as a crucial sanctuary for small fish, providing them with hiding spots to evade predators and a reliable source of food. (credit: National Geographic/Tom Fitz)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_02.jpg
The mangrove nursery, full of small fish, makes an ideal home for a juvenile goliath grouper. (credit: National Geographic/Tom Fitz)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_03.jpg
A great blue heron of the Everglades readies its positioning for catch. (credit: National Geographic/Mark Emery)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_17.jpg
A curious yearling alligator considers a toxic lubber grasshopper as a potential snack. (credit: National Geographic/Jeff Reed)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_29.jpg
In Florida Bay, sea anemones living on the root of a red mangrove tree showcase the biodiversity of the mangrove nursery. (credit: National Geographic/Tom Fitz)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_01.jpg
A great blue heron hunts in the big cypress forest of the Everglades.(credit: National Geographic/Mark Emery)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_15.jpg
Comfortable in its underground burrow, gopher tortoises evolved in North America millions of years before the Florida panhandle emerged from the sea. (credit: National Geographic/Jeff Reed)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_14.jpg
After learning their lesson about toxic grasshoppers, yearling alligators let a lubber grasshopper escape from their water hole.(credit: National Geographic/Mat Goodman)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_28.jpg
The eyes of the roseate spoonbill turn bright red from pigments called carotenoids in the food they eat. (credit: National Geographic/Jake Hewitt)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_25.jpg
Growing over three inches, the lubber grasshopper rivals the size of a brown anole lizard. (credit: National Geographic/Jake Hewitt)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_31.jpg
A great egret forages among the big cypress trees of the Everglades. (credit: National Geographic/Mat Goodman)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_19.jpg
A great egret, once highly targeted by hunters for its striking white breeding feathers, now lives protected in Everglades National Park. (credit: National Geographic/Mat Goodman)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_18.jpg
Commonly found in Everglades National Park, the Eastern Lubber is the largest grasshopper in the U.S.(credit: National Geographic/Jake Hewitt)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_30.jpg
In Florida Bay, three spoonbill chicks wait in the branches of the mangrove trees for their parents to bring them a meal. (credit: National Geographic/Jeff Reed)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_24.jpg
Unimpressive in flight, the lubber grasshopper crawls and climbs as its primary mode of travel. (credit: National Geographic/Mat Goodman)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_32.jpg
A roseate spoonbill of the Everglades stands watch. (credit: National Geographic/Mark Emery)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_26.jpg
Born a pale pink, the vibrant pink feathers of a roseate spoonbill only appear as they age. (credit: National Geographic/Jake Hewitt)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_27.jpg
A lubber grasshopper grooms next to a small alligator pool in the Everglades. (credit: National Geographic/Mat Goodman)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_33.jpg
With a fresh catch, a yearling alligator contemplates whether to swallow the poisonous lubber grasshopper. (credit: National Geographic/Jeff Reed)Episode: #04 "Olympic"Air Date 09/15/2024204_Everglades_NationalParksUSA_37.jpg
