A Mangrove Story

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A Mangrove Story ACT I A baby Spoonbill flies in from above and lands by a Crocodile. As the small bird looks over, he is startled by the presence of the Crocodile. RS: Oh no! An alligator! AC: What? Where? RS: YOU! You’re the alligator! AC: No I’m not. I’m and American crocodile. I live in the mangroves of Florida. RS: Really? I live here too! But I don’t really know what a mangrove is. Can you tell me? AC: Sure! Technically speaking, a mangrove forest is a biome that grows at tropical and subtropical latitudes and has low-oxygen soil and slow-moving waters. RS: So it’s like a swamp? AC: Sort of. RS: Cool! Are mangroves only found here in Florida? AC: Nope, they are found all over the world. You know Indonesia over in Southeast Asia? They have the largest total area of mangroves of any country. RS: Wow! Hey, I bet I know something that you don’t about mangroves! AC: What’s that? RS: A food chain! I bet you just eat when you’re hungry and don’t think about it, right? Well, I think about what I eat. I eat mollusks and other small invertebrates who eat bacteria. These bacteria decompose the dead leaves that fall from the mangrove trees. AC: But what eats you? RS: I’m getting there. You know how I thought you were an alligator? American Alligators live in mangroves too. They dig these holes in their habitats that fill with water. These alligators are mutualists because lots of animals rely on these water holes, but at the same time, the alligators eat some of the animals who are drinking. AC: So what eats you? RS: there isn’t any specific animal that eats me, but I imagine a creature like yourself would eat me. But… you aren’t hungry, are you? The American Crocodile chases the bird around for a short time before catching and eating him. End of Act I ACT II A sea turtle swims up from the depths and joins the crocodile in the lush Florida

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