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John D. MacArthur Beach State Park John D. MacArthur Beach State Park comprises 438 acres of diverse subtropical coastal habitat and is one of the last undeveloped areas in coastal Palm Beach County. The estuary system is the Species Guide largest natural community found in the Park. and their surrounding wetlands are bodies of water usually found where rivers meet the . Estuaries are home to unique plant and animal communities that have adapted to brackish water—a mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater. Parking Lots All animals, plants, and other resources are protected in Florida’s State Parks. Please take nothing but pictures and memories. For your Estuary protection and that of the resources, please stay on John D. MacArthur designated trails and obey all Park signs. Beach State Park Alternate Large format Lake Worth Print available upon request. Estuary Boardwalk

John D. MacArthur Beach State Park There’s So Much More To Explore 10900 Jack Nicklaus Drive North Palm Beach, FL 33408 Park Office 561-624-6950 Nature Center 561-624-6952 Beach Outfitters Gift Shop- 561-776-7449 Ext. 101 www.macarthurbeach.org Estuaries are among the most productive Hermit Crab (Pagurus Checkered Pufferfish Striped Mullet (Mugil ecosystems in the world. Many animals rely annulipes) Hermit crabs are (Sphoeroides testudineus) cephalus) This fish is a on estuaries for food, places to breed, and common in south Florida, This fish is yellowish with bluish-gray or greenish migration stopovers. and all inhabit snail shells. a square network of lines color, becoming silver Like all hermit crabs, this and white underneath. along the sides of the ften referred to as the O “Nursery of the smaller crab can be Pufferfish contain a toxin body. They are often aggressive Ocean”, estuaries provide food and shelter  in defending its that can be fatal if eaten. seen jumping out of to many juvenile commercial and home. the water. . recreational fish species Florida Manatee Horseshoe Crab (Limulus Great Barracuda (Trichechus manatus Invertebrates olyphemus) This animal has (Sphyraena barracuda) p latirostris) This gentle and Barnacles (Balanus a smooth brown carapace This long, tubular fish has slow-moving animal can a very pointed snout filled amphitrite) Inside the rings and a long tail. Suprisingly, sometimes visit the estuary, of plates, the animal lies on they are related to spiders. with two rows of teeth. It playing an important role in can swim up to 35 mph. its back and uses its fan- influencing the plant growth. like legs to catch food. Tree Crab (Aratus pisonii) This crab is an olive Plants Blue Crab (Callinectes brown/green approx. 2.7 cm sapidus) This crab is a Lined Seahorse (Hippocampus Black Mangrove (Avicennia in size. They live near good swimmer, erectus) This species relies on germinans) This tree has black and is and will climb the easy to identify by their camouflage, since its swimming bark and pneumatophores, trees when the comes in. blue claws and legs. skills are poor. The male carries roots that stick up from the the embryo in his brood pouch. Crown Conch (Melongena ground in order to allow gas Pink Shrimp (Penaeus corona) This gastropod is a exchange. Salt crystals can duorarum) This shrimp is thin carnivore, and can be often be seen on the leaves. and translucent, their identified by the prominant antennae longer than their Sheepshead (Archosargus white spines on each of its Red Mangrove (Rhizophora body length. They burrow probatocephalus) This fish has whorls. The female is mangle) This tree has dark during the day and become 5-6 dark, slightly diagonal slightly larger than the male. red wood, thin gray bark, and active in the evening. stripes and molar-like crushing Eastern Oyster teeth for their omnivorous diet. prop roots. Propagules, (Crassostrea virginica) An They are commonly 1-8 lbs. which are seedlings, grow to important species to the Vertebrates almost a foot long before ecosystem, the oyster dropping in the water. keeps the water clean by Atlantic Needlefish Southern String Ray filtering up to 50 gallons of (Strongylura marina) (Dasyatis americana) This White Mangrove water a day. This fish has long animal has a flattened, (Laguncularia racemosa) This needlelike jaws with Fiddler Crab (Uca pugnax) diamond-shaped body, tree is the least salt tolerant of tiny teeth, used to This crab is easy to identify, more angular than other the three mangrove species. catch prey sideways. distinctive rays. If stepped on, they In the spring, they produce males have a They can be found enlarged claw, use their spine as a defense greenish-white flowers. which near the surface of resembl a fiddle. mechanism. es the water.