Resources of Indian River - Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve

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	Archaeological Resources The Ais Indians occupied the shores of the Indian River Lagoon for several thousand years before the first Europeans arrived. They depended on the lagoon for transportation and for food. They left behind many burial mounds and trash mizzens. While many of these mizzens were used as fill material for roads earlier this century, some were studied extensively.
	Natural Communities The major community types are mangrove-dominated swamps, salt marshes, marine grass beds, drift algae, oyster bars, tidal flats, deep-water areas, and spoil islands. There are several community types that border the aquatic preserve: coastal strand, secondary dunes, floodplain forest and hydric hammock.
	Wildlife The Indian River Lagoon is America's most diverse estuary. There are over 400 species of fish, 260 species of mollusks and 479 species of shrimp and crabs. It is a valuable nursery ground for fish and supports bird rookeries. The preserve is known to support 13 animals that are Endangered, Threatened or Species of Special Concern and one plant that is Endangered. Listed Species (pdf - 17 KB)

Last updated: April 12, 2013