Cassiopeia jellyfish are sometimes called upside-down jellyfish or mangrove jellyfish. They are typically in the mangroves or on the soft bottom of bays . They are upside down because they grow food (algae) on their tentacles. |  |
 |
This amazing animal, the osprey, depends of the mangrove habitate to provide food. Did you know that when the osprey dives for fish the Ospreys nasal valves stop the water from entering? The mangroves are a nursery for a lot of animal’s babies but the osprey has a nest so it doesn’t raise their babies in the mangroves. |
Iguanas can grow as long as 6 feet, including its tail. They live in large trees including mangroves. Mangroves produce leaves for the iguanas to eat. Iguanas are an invasive species in the Florida Keys. That means they are not supposed to live here. They are foreign to this land. Iguanas become pests in this ecosystem by over producing due to not having natural predators and eating indigenous flowers and plants almost to extinction.
|  |
 |
Without mangroves the mangrove snapper could die. The mangrove snapper can grow up to a foot long. You can recognize a Mangrove Snapper because it has dark brown with a dash of gray and red with orange dots. Mangrove snapper are also a fish people like to catch for food. |
Mangroves are important to the animals because animals need a habitat and a safe to place live. They also need to be safe from hurricanes and other storms. Here is a reminder: do not throw trash into the mangroves.
