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Tag: Florida wildlife

Florida Fauna & Flora – Eastern Spotted & Striped Skunks

Eastern spotted skunks and striped skunks are found in all areas of Florida except for the Keys. These common Florida skunks are the size of a housecat. They have black and white fur, small heads, short legs, bushy tails and most notably an ability to spray an oily, unpleasant-smelling musk (up to 15 feet) that is hard to ignore.

 

Female skunks give birth in the spring to a litter of four to seven kits. Around six weeks old, the kits learn to forage for food with their mother and remain with her for several months. They learn defensive strategies, the most effective being the aforementioned oily, musky spray that deters predators.

 

The skunk’s chief predator is the great horned owl although loss of habitat has drastically reduced the skunk population in recent years. Skunks are omnivores – their diet includes both animals and plants. They are usually active at night and are known to knock over trash cans and forage for food scraps.

 

Fun Fauna Fact: Like Pepé Le Pew there’s a lot to love about skunks (except the smell). The striped skunks’ diet is heavy on insects – about 70% – great for pest control.

 

Read the full May 2020 SECO News online.

Florida Fauna & Flora – Largemouth Bass

The largemouth bass is the official state freshwater fish. This olive-green to greenish-gray bass is also the most popular game fish in North America. The largemouth bass is easily differentiated from other basses because its upper jaw extends beyond the rear edge of its eye. Its back fins are separated by a deep dip – another distinctive feature of this fish.

 

Largemouth bass are found in lakes and rivers primarily near vegetation or underwater structures. Bass are carnivores who enjoy hiding undercover to ambush prey. Adult bass eat a variety of fish, crustaceans, frogs, snakes and even small birds and baby alligators. Bass spawn each spring with males fanning out over the bed to protect the eggs.

 

FUN FISH FACT: Largemouth bass are native to eastern and central U.S. and Mexico but have been introduced widely elsewhere. In many places around the world, its predatory habits have made it an invasive species.

 

Read the full April 2020 SECO News online.

Florida Fauna & Flora – The Swallow-tailed Kite

Swallow-tailed kites are easily recognizable with their black and white plumage and deeply forked tails. Males and females are similar in appearance, size and weight. An average swallow-tailed kite’s body measures 20 to 27 inches and weighs 11 to 21 ounces. This kite’s impressive wingspan measures 3.7 to 4.5 feet.

 

Swallow-tailed kites are migratory raptors. In the spring, it travels from Central and South America to Florida to breed. Wetland forests are the kite’s preferred nesting grounds. Kites build nests in loblolly pine or bald cypress trees. Their diet includes insects and small animals, including frogs, anoles and snakes.

 

Historically, kites could be found as far north as Minnesota. In the U.S., kites are found mostly in Florida with small numbers in other southeastern states. Swallow-tailed kites are not listed as endangered or threatened by the federal government. The species’ greatest threat is habitat destruction. The future of swallow-tailed kites depends on the protection of lowland forests throughout its breeding range.

 

Read the full February 2020 SECO News online.

Florida Fauna & Flora – Florida Manatee

 

Florida Fauna & Flora – Florida Manatee

 

The Florida manatee, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, is a slow-moving aquatic animal with an elongated round body that tapers to a flat paddle-shaped tail. Its two forelimbs, each with three or four nails, are called flippers. The manatee’s head and face are wrinkled with whiskers on its snout.

 

Adult manatees weigh between 800 and 1,200 pounds and grow to 10 feet in length. It eats a variety of plants and can consume 10 to 15 percent of its body weight in vegetation daily. It surfaces every 3 to 5 minutes to breathe but can remain underwater up to 20 minutes.

 

Female manatees give birth once every 2 to 5 years after a gestation period of 13 months. At birth, calves weigh an average of 60 pounds and are nursed for 1 to 2 years. Found in fresh or saltwater, manatees move into Florida’s warm waters and are sited in shallow areas from November 15 to March 31.

 

It is illegal to harass, hunt, capture or kill manatees. Manatees have no natural predators, but its slow- moving speeds put it at risk of being injured or killed by fast-moving boat propellers. Manatees are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act.

 

Read the full January 2020 SECO News online.

Florida Fauna & Flora – White Ibis

The American white ibis is often seen stalking Florida neighborhoods for a snack. With its brilliant white feathers, bright red-orange down-curved bill and long legs, this bird is easy to spot. This medium-sized bird is native to wetlands and is commonly seen wading through shallow water hunting for food. Living mostly on crayfish, the white ibis’ bill allows the bird to eat a wide range of food.

 

During breeding season, white ibis gather in colonies near water. Both parents care for their young. The ibis has natural predators; however, its greatest threat is humans. Pollution and the destruction of natural marshlands have resulted in the loss of available food and nesting sites. The white ibis is protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

 

The ibis is known to have an instinct for storms and is one of the last animals to take shelter and the first to reappear after a storm. Because of the bird’s resistance to storms, the University of Miami chose the white ibis as the school’s mascot.

 

Read the full October 2019 SECO News online.

Florida Fauna & Flora – Opossum

Opossums are the only marsupials native to North America. Female marsupials give birth to underdeveloped young that then reside in an external abdomen pouch. In this pouch, up to to 14 young are suckled for about two months after birth. The young opossums begin life smaller than honeybees. Upon leaving the pouch they cling to their mother’s back for several weeks.

 

Mature opossums are larger than a house cat. Opossums have coarse, grayish-white hair, a pig-like snout, sharp claws, large naked ears and a long, hairless, scaly tail which is used to hang from tree branches. Opossums have 50 teeth – more than any other North American mammal – and eat almost any kind of animal or vegetable. When in danger, it lies motionless and pretends to be dead. This behavior gave us the expression “playing possum.”

 

Fun Opossum Fact: An opossum eats about 5,000 ticks during tick season, which according to the National Wildlife Federation helps stop the spread of Lyme Disease.

 

Read the full August 2019 SECO News online.

Florida Fauna & Flora – Bay Scallops

The Florida bay scallop is a bivalve (two shells joined by a hinge) mollusk that lives in shallow, grassy flats in select locations along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Usually found in four to ten feet of water, scallops live in all oceans, but never in fresh water. Bay scallops are recognizable by the tiny bright blue eyes running along the shell rim.

 

Bay scallops open their shells to feed and breathe. A scallop’s diet consists of algae and organic matter that is filtered from the water. It uses its gills to pull oxygen out of the water. A single scallop can produce more than one million eggs per spawn.

 

Unlike oysters and clams, scallops are swimmers. They click their shells together to create thrust and propel through water. Their ability to swim makes them difficult to catch.

 

Thousands of scallop enthusiasts enjoy the challenge of trying to catch a tasty meal during Florida’s scallop season which generally runs from late June through early September. Before netting your catch, verify your location’s season. Scallop harvesting rules vary by county and violations carry a hefty fine.

 

Read the full July 2019 SECO News online.

 

Photo by Nancy Sheridan/FWC

Florida Fauna & Flora – Thoroughbred Horse

Thoroughbred horses are synonymous with Ocala/Marion County area, as it is coined the “Horse Capital of the World™.” These hot-blooded, highly intelligent horses are known for their agility and lightning-fast runs – reaching speeds up to 40 mph. Thoroughbreds are large, muscular, powerful horses that are innately elegant and graceful.

 

Horses are measured in “hands.” A hand is equal to four inches. A horse’s height is determined from the ground up to the tallest point on its body called the withers – the ridge between the animal’s shoulder blades. An average-sized thoroughbred horse is 16 hands or 64 inches. Average weight is 1,100 pounds.

 

Male thoroughbreds are stallions and females are mares. Foals (not ponies) are born after a gestation period of about 11 months.

 

Ocala/Marion County is the proud home of two Triple Crown winning horses – Affirmed in 1978 and American Pharoah in 2015.

 

Read the full May 2019 SECO News online.

Florida Fauna & Flora – Cottontail Rabbit

COTTONTAIL RABBIT

 

Cottontail rabbits are small, grayish-brown rabbits with a white puffy tail. These rabbits make their homes just about anywhere in Florida with the exception of dense forests and swampy areas. Cottontails live in small brush that is well camouflaged from predators.

 

Female cottontails typically birth four to seven baby rabbits (aka kittens) per litter. An average female births four litters in its lifetime. Cottontails are crepuscular, meaning they are mostly active during twilight hours. From dusk to dawn, these rabbits rummage through foliage scouting for food and can be spotted in the early morning hours before settling in for the day.

 

Children all over the world have been entertained with “tails” about mischievous cottontail rabbits written by Beatrix Potter (Peter Rabbit) and Thornton Burgess (Peter Cottontail). Like Potter’s stories, Burgess’ Peter Cottontail character was originally named Peter Rabbit but temporarily changed his last name to Cottontail, then changed it back to Rabbit. Burgess’ Peter Cottontail character evolved through pop culture and is now associated with the Easter Bunny.

 

Read the full April 2019 SECO News online.

Florida Fauna & Flora – Florida the 27th State

FLORIDA THE 27TH STATE

 

Spanish conquistador Juan Ponce de Leon landed near St. Augustine in Spring 1513. Amidst the blooming flowers, Ponce de Leon named the newly-discovered land “La Pascua Florida” or Festival of Flowers.

 

Florida became the 27th state on March 3, 1845. Long before Florida grew into a tourism hub, early industries included logging, fishing, cattle ranching, farming and citrus growing. These industries continue today. In the 1920s, the railroad spurred the land boom bringing business and residents to Florida’s southern tip. Florida became a popular spring break destination for college students starting in the early 1930s.

 

The state’s first theme parks were Cypress Gardens and Marineland. Tourism took off in Florida in 1971 when the Magic Kingdom opened in Orlando. Today, millions visit Universal Studios, Epcot, LEGOLAND, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens every year.

 

Florida visitors enjoy the state’s multi-faceted entertainment options. Flanked by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, Florida is a beach-lover’s dream. Crystal-clear natural springs, National Parks and Forests, unique wildlife and copious sunshine brand Florida a national treasure.

 

Read the full March 2019 SECO News online.