Top Florida Nature Links 8/20/2023

Ten fun nature stories that caught my eye this week. Click on the picture to check them out.

Napping sea turtle

Sea Turtles sleep 11 hours or so every day. When sleeping their oxygen needs go way down so they can hold their breath 4-7 hours. Plenty of time for a good nap. And it’s nice if you can get your shell cleaned at the same time.

Leapin’ Lizards. Or at least alligators.

I’ve seen them leap out of the water a couple of times but have never been able to capture it on film. Their tails are really strong and the plant it on the bottom and pogo from there. This story said he was after a fish, but they also do this to surprise a bird on a low branch.

A worker at Gatorland once told me they had a gator that figured out he could jump up, grab a branch and shake vigorously to cause bird eggs or nestlings to fall out. They had to move him out of the main lagoon as that behavior startled guests. I would have loved to see it.

Fishing Teamwork

Who can resist a couple of kids fishing. And working as a team. Not really a nature video, more of a cute kid video while in nature. Great video.

Dogs vs Manatee

Manatees are really big and really strong. A few times I’ve surprised one in my kayak that was resting on bottom. Suddenly I’m holding on to the kayak for dear life. It looks like this one goes out of his way to splash the dogs.

Honeybee Appreciation Day

We think of bees as honey makers, but that’s not the most important thing they do for us. Their role in pollinating flowers of all types is much more important. National Bee Appreciation Day was August 19.

Dolphin Pass or Narrator Fumble?

In this video the narrator doesn’t understand what’s going on. Dolphins don’t pass fish to each other. What happens is one of their hunting techniques is to converge on a school of fish. Some of the fish will jump out of the water to get away from the dolphins only to be caught in a waiting mouth. But they don’t pass.

Iguana Hunter

I wonder what type of characteristics you would want to breed into a dog to make him an iguana hunter? Big, fearless, smart enough to bring them back? In any case this dog seems to have it all.

Ghost Orchids

Ghost Orchids, also called frog orchids because of the shape of the bloom, grow wild in Florida and several Caribbean Islands and are blooming now. It’s beautiful and extremely rare, growing wild in swamps. People who find a ghost orchid will rarely tell anybody about it, preferring to keep it secret for fear of orchid hunters stealing it. There are probably only about 2,000 in Florida. Here’s a primer on the elusive flower.

Bioluminescence

Bioluminescence is caused by very small water creatures called dinoflagellates that light up when disturbed. In the summer in the tropics they can put on a show. Look for Bioluminescence kayak tours anywhere on the gulf coast or Indian River if you’re interested in seeing it.

Shameless self-plug of the week

This week’s article was on caesar weed. Caesar weed, also called Congo jute, has been used for centuries to make rope and coarse fabrics in Asia and Africa. Over the last century it has been living and expanding in Florida. This article takes a look at caesar weed’s history and the ecological problems it’s causing today.