KSC-07pd0728

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A glossy ibis is waiting for prey to swim by in this pond near Kennedy Space Center. This species inhabits marshes, swamps, flooded fields, coastal bays and estuaries, ranging along the coast from Maine to Florida and Texas. Along the coast it feeds mostly on fiddler crabs, but also may eat insects and snakes, including the poisonous water moccasin. KSC shares a boundary with the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which surrounds it. The refuge is a habitat for more than 310 species of birds, 25 mammals, 117 fishes and 65 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, the refuge supports 19 endangered or threatened wildlife species on Federal or State lists, more than any other single refuge in the U.S. Photo credit: NASA/Ken Thornsley