Top Florida Nature Links 8/15/2023
A Few Things that caught my eye this week. Click on the picture to see the whole story.
Here are a few Florida Nature stories that caught my eye this week.
Sea turtle hatchling makes her run to the deep
Because who doesn’t like baby sea turtles. And it is likely a female. Turtles develop sex according to how warm it is and this has been a hot year. Remember “hot chicks, cool dudes”. Most of the hatchlings this year will be hot chicks.
Hammerhead shark does a fly-by
Hammerheads aren’t a very aggressive shark when it comes to attacking people. Watch the young guys in the back of the crowd making sure there was always somebody between them and the shark. This was in Palm Beach.
Portuguese Man of War
Definitely one of the cooler names for a sea creature. These guys give pretty bad stings. The sting paralyzes fish so they can eat them and it has been known to kill people, but only rarely
Study reveals successful strategies for removing invasive caimans from Florida Everglades
The Everglades seems to be a magnet for invasive species. The caiman is an alligator relative from Central and South America.
The annual python hunt is on
Last year over 1,000 python hunters signed up (not all hunted). These guys look like they’re having fun. Hey, in the marsh at night looking for giant snakes. What’s not to like?
Bringing home the bacon, cannibal alligator edition
This alligator has been dead for some time, not how high it floats. It’s decomposing quickly. I once watched an alligator dismembering a dead one he found, also in Lake Apopka. Nature rarely lets meat go to waste.
Young eagle still in his nest.
This guy is about 5 months old now and on his own. Today he brought home a fish for lunch. Bald eagles don’t get their white head and tail feathers until their 3rd year.
Florida Sunrise
I always love the red skies of morning and evening. I think this was taken in the South Florida.
Hot oceans threaten coral reefs
This has been a tough summer for Florida’s coral reefs with the water getting really warm really quickly.
What shall we do about gypstacks?
And of course last but not least my shameless plug. My recent article about the environmental disaster the gypsum stacks have become.
Thank you for reading my substack. Until next time … Get out and see the beauty that is Florida.