Dead Lakes is reported to have been formed when sand bars created by the current of the Apalachicola River blocked the Chipola River. The ensuing high water killed thousands of trees in the floodplain, giving the area its name. The uplands are covered mainly by longleaf pines, with sweetbay, magnolia and cypress trees bordering wetlands. Animal life includes foxes, cotton rats, raccoons, opossums, deer, rabbits, skunks, beavers, turtles, snakes and alligators.