After trekking, diving, netting, climbing, filming, squinting, and occasionally Googling for 24 hours, scientists and volunteers have tallied 810 species of living creatures in, on, above, and under Biscayne National Park. Park Superintendent Mark Lewis unveiled the figure moments ago onstage at BioBlitz Base Camp adjacent to Biscayne Bay in Homestead, Florida.
The number will continue to rise in the months to come as scientists continue to identify more of the species encountered during the 'Blitz.
Here's the official biota breakdown:
- Amphibians - 3
- Birds - 65
- Corals - 80
- Fish - 192
- Fungi - 7
- Insects - 71
- Mammals - 6
- Nonvascular Plants - 68
- Other invertebrates - 102
- Reptiles - 7
- Vascular Plants - 209
- TOTAL - 810
Lewis and National Geographic Vice President of Research, Conservation, and Exploration John Francis were joined by Darla Sidles, Superintendent of Saguaro National Park near Tucson, Arizona, who announced that next year's official NatGeo-National Park Service BioBlitz will take place in that park. The Geographic and the park service are hosting one a year in anticipation of the 2016 centennial of the U.S. National Park Service.
Photos by Tim Greenleaf