More than 260 bird species, including
piping plovers and
peregrine falcons, have been seen in the park. There are also over 50 species of butterflies, including the
statira butterfly. In summer, the beach provides a nesting site for
loggerhead sea turtles.
Florida manatees,
green and
leatherback sea turtles forage offshore in
seagrass meadows, and
American crocodiles also are known to find refuge in this coastal park. In 1992,
Hurricane Andrew destroyed many of the invasive
Australian pines that had established themselves in the park, allowing for further restoration of native flora in habitats such as marine hammocks and mangrove forests. Multiple species plants identified by as imperiled are protected by the park, including
beach jacquemontia,
Biscayne prickly-ash and Atlantic Coast Florida lantana (
Lantana depressa var. floridana). The park is home to the Cape Florida
Banding Station (CFBS), which was established in 2002 to monitor how the restored habitat supports migrating songbirds and regional
migration patterns. In 2021, the station banded its 40,000th bird and in September 2025, reached the 50,000th. ==Hours==