Photo by Tim Donovan - Florida Wildlife Magazine

Photo by Tim Donovan
Florida Wildlife
Volume 1-68 Issue 2
License-free Saltwater
Fishing Days . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Florida Bonneted Bat . . . . . . . . . 4
X8: A glimpse back at
FWC dispatching . . . . . . . . . . 9
The smalltooth sawfish . . . . . . . 14
How well do you know the flora
and fauna of Florida? . . . . . . 22
The call of the conch . . . . . . . . . 30
Tried everything
in shooting sports?
Give blowgunning a shot . . . 38
Ghosts of the
woods and waters . . . . . . . . 43
The Big Bend
Saltwater Paddling Trail . . . . 49
Destination Conservation:
protecting shorebird
rooftop nesting sites . . . . . . 55
What’s in a name? . . . . . . . . . . 63
Identifying cooters . . . . . . . . . . 74
Half Moon WMA: a wildlife haven
in Sumter County . . . . . . . . . 84
National Hunting
and Fishing Day . . . . . . . . . . 98
A Florida red-bellied cooter suns itself.
Florida
License-free
saltwater fishing days
If you haven’t been out saltwater fishing in a while
because you don’t have a current license, you can take
advantage of the FWC’s license-free fishing days. Each
year, four days are open to everyone to fish without a
license. These four license-free dates differ for saltwater
and freshwater fishing. Even if you have a license, it’s an
opportunity to take along a friend who doesn’t, perhaps
a visitor from out of state. In addition, if you have family
members who are exempt from holding a license, such as a
child under the age of 16 or a parent over 65 who’s a Florida
resident, you can fish alongside them for the day.
There are two days in the fall when you can enjoy
saltwater fishing from a boat or from the shore without a
license. This year’s dates are Sept. 5 and Nov. 28, which
coincide with Labor Day and Thanksgiving weekends,
respectively. Included in the license waiver for saltwater
fishing are crabbing, lobstering and scalloping. Please note,
however, that all rules and regulations are still in effect,
including bag and size limits, as well as seasons for each
species. Watch the YouTube video and visit MyFWC.com to
learn more.
Florida Bonneted Bat
Florida’s largest and most endangered bat
By Selena Kiser
To protect various species of bats
near your home with natural
roosts, regardless of where you
live, consider allowing dead palm
fronds and Spanish moss to remain
on your trees, and keep any large,
native trees, especially those that
may have cavities. Dead trees
(snags) are vital to bats, birds and
other wildlife. Instead of removing
those that are close to a building,
they can be topped - removing the
upper part of the snag, but leaving
as much as possible of the lower
trunk and limbs. This provides
crucial habitat, while being safer
for you and your property.
O
f all the mammal species in the
world, more than 20 percent are
bats. They make up the secondlargest group of mammals with more
than 1,300 species. Rodents are the
largest mammalian group; remember,
though, bats are not rodents. However,
since bats in the United States are all
relatively small and nocturnal, they are
often overlooked.
In Florida, there are 13 resident
bat species, but only one of these, the
Florida bonneted bat, is endemic to our
state, found nowhere else. In addition,
it is the largest species in Florida, with
a wingspan of up to 20 inches and
an average weight of 1.5 ounces. The
name comes from its large, rounded
ears that project over its face like a
bonnet. Its range is restricted to south
Florida, found mostly in Charlotte,
Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Monroe
counties, with several records from
Okeechobee and Polk counties. Since
the Florida bonneted bat is found only
in subtropical south Florida, it has no
need to hibernate. It also does not
migrate, but will travel within its range
to find the best roosting and foraging
areas. This species lives and hunts in
flatwoods and other forested habitats,
as well as in wetlands and over open
waterways, where it pursues insects to
The Florida
bonneted bat’s
pelage (hair) color
varies from black to
brown to grayish or
cinnamon brown.
Photo by Gary Morse
eat, including beetles and flies.
Prior to 2004, this bat was called the
Florida mastiff bat and was considered
a subspecies of Wagner’s bonneted
bat, which is found in much of Latin
America. Genetic and morphological
research indicated it was distinct from
Wagner’s bonneted bat, so biologists
reclassified it as a separate species.
Upon doing so, it immediately became
an at-risk species. This is because there
are only a very few Florida bonneted
bats left. It is estimated that there are
between several hundred to 1,000
individuals, making it one of the rarest
mammal species in the United States.
In addition to its small population
size, the Florida bonneted bat like
many bat species, gives birth to only
one young, known as a pup, per
Photo by Dustin Smith/Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians, North Carolina Zoological Park
In 2013, a State Wildlife Grant was
awarded to University of Florida
scientists to conduct research on
Florida bonneted bats. One aspect
of this research involves capturing
Florida bonneted bats currently using
bat houses in Babcock/Webb WMA,
and implanting Passive Integrated
Transponder (PIT) tags, which are
small devices inserted under the bat’s
skin that emit a unique identification
number to an external scanning device
or reader. This technology allows
researchers to monitor individual bats
over time and answer questions about
how bats are using bat houses in the
WMA. In 2014, FWC biologists received
a joint grant from the Conserve
Wildlife Tag Fund and the William H.
Flowers, Jr. Foundation to purchase
an automatic, free-standing PIT tag
reader to mount on a Florida bonneted
bat house. This reader records tagged
bats as they enter and exit the bat
house, and allows FWC biologists to
download the data at a later time,
reducing the disturbance to roosting
bats. Eventually, each occupied
Florida bonneted bat house will have
an automatic PIT tag reader. The
results of this research effort will
greatly increase our knowledge of this
endangered bat.
~ Jennifer Myers, FWC Biologist
maternity season (occurs once a year
for most species, but may be once
or twice for the bonneted bat). This
slow reproduction rate combined
with its restricted range makes it very
susceptible to extinction. Historically,
it was not found in large numbers, but
with the loss of its natural habitat,
it’s easy to understand why it needs
extra protection to keep it from
becoming extinct. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service designated the Florida
bonneted bat as an endangered
species, adding it to the Endangered
Species List in November 2013.
The Florida bonneted bat tends to
live individually or in small colonies,
often composed of one male with a
group of females. This species is known
to roost in limestone outcroppings and
tree hollows in natural settings. Another
known roost type includes woodpecker
nest holes in pine trees. Cavities in
palm trees and shafts of royal palms are
also used. It has lost many of its native
roosts and now often lives in buildings
or bat houses – artificial roosts
designed specifically for bats.
Some of these occupied bat houses
are found at Fred C. Babcock/Cecil M.
The Florida bonneted bat’s
typical diet is beetles, flies and
true bugs. Here, one eats a
grub while being carefully held
by a researcher.
Photo by Gary Morse
Webb Wildlife Management Area in
Charlotte County. The bats began using
them in 2008; as of March 2015, more
than 70 individuals were roosting in
seven of the bat houses, with maternity
The Florida bonneted bat is in the
family Molossidae and, like other
bats in that family, it is free-tailed,
meaning its tail extends well beyond
a short tail membrane.
colonies in several. This species has
high fidelity to its roosts, meaning it
will continue to use the same ones
year after year, as long as the roost
offers a safe environment with proper
temperatures. At Babcock/Webb WMA,
researchers are investigating the use
of the bat houses by Florida bonneted
bats (see sidebar for details).
There is still much to learn about
the Florida bonneted bat. As biologists
discover more about its roosting and
feeding habitats, they will be better
able to protect this extremely rare
Florida species. For more information,
visit the FWC and Zoo Miami websites. If
you live near Babcock/Webb WMA, you
may wish to volunteer to help FWC staff
count the bat house emergence (if you
are interested, please contact Jennifer
Myers at [email protected]).
Photo by Kathleen Smith
By Greg Workman
I
“
t was Mother’s Day and I was working alone that
afternoon in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission’s dispatch center,” said Marcia Crawford, a
40-year-veteran of the FWC. “It all started as a typical shift,
some chatter was coming across the radio, but nothing out
of the ordinary. As with most nights you settle into your
routine work mode. I double checked the log, maintaining
the vigilance and safety of the officers in the field. There was
something different about that night, the air was still and
the lights seemed a bit dimmer than normal. There would be
times that day when the radio went silent with no traffic, as if
it was the calm before the storm. Bracing for what may or may
not be looming, I just kept doing what I was trained to do.”
The phone rings. It’s the Sheriff’s Office advising of
a major situation developing in a nearby forest. Like an
explosion, BOOM, the radio traffic starts and the phone is
ringing off the hook. The calm is over and the storm is rolling
in. Adrenaline wants to take over but she’s been there before.
Staying focused and centered on her responsibility is a
major priority in dispatching, as law enforcement officers are
depending on her actions. For over two hours, she maintains
radio traffic on the scene, routing calls from the public and
media, as well as keeping up all standard tasks for the other
two dozen officers working the vast region.
The above is just one of many true to life examples of
scenarios played out in all five FWC regions in Florida. As
Marcia recalled this situation, I couldn’t help but see the
passion in her voice and the excitement in her words. Among
other duties and responsibilities, Marcia worked 20 years as
an FWC dispatcher, or a duty officer as we call it today, with
six of those years as the duty officer supervisor.
FWC officers and investigators conserve fish, wildlife
and their habitats as well as protect Florida’s residents
and visitors. Their challenge is to do
so over the 34 million acres of land
and 12,000 square miles of water in
Florida – much of it challenging terrain
requiring innovative transportation.
FWC archives
Ten-eight (X8), as the title expresses, is the
code our law enforcement officers use to inform
the dispatchers they’re “In Service” or in other
words, “I’m starting my shift” now. They begin their
shift ready to take on whatever comes their way,
knowing they have a confident dispatcher looking
over them. The relationship between a dispatcher
and an officer is comparable to a family unit. Just
like most families, it comes with passion along with
frustration and satisfaction about carrying out their
mission. These protective characteristics bond
them as they work together during each shift; what
happens to one is felt by the other.
Today’s digital and modern luxuries weren’t a
part of the tools utilized decades ago when Marcia
started. While responsible for the officers she
watched over, she did
so purely by use of a pencil and
paper. The main instrument
of her trade was an old analog
radio system that wasn’t alltogether dependable at times.
Working long shifts wasn’t
uncommon as there were only
four total dispatchers in the
entire region of 12-plus counties
of coverage. They covered the radio 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.
The viewpoint is similar from a law enforcement officer.
Captain Chris Roszkowiak – most of us call him Capt. Chris –
began his career 25 years ago with the Florida Marine Patrol.
While the
equipment has
changed over
the years, the
core missions of
the agency still
include resource
protection; boating
and waterways;
and public safety.
Far left: Vintage car radio
courtesy State Archives
of Florida, floridamemory.
com. Other photos: FWC
archives.
At that time the FMP utilized a low band radio system. He
described it as having buttons across the face of the unit
for the different channels. During his tenure with FMP and
now FWC, he’s always had 24/7 dispatch; that wasn’t always
the case with the earlier officers. He describes the struggles
of 24/7 coverage as Marcia did. Capt. Chris went on to say
there was a time when the administrative assistant in his
field office would dispatch during the day but transferred the
responsibility at night for coverage.
“The system back then was all we had and we did the
best with what we were given,” Capt. Roszkowiak said. “There
were times I’d have to stand on top of my vehicle and hold my
mobile unit up in an effort to get a signal with my antenna,
but we managed. Even though there were known spots of no
service, it didn’t stop us from doing our jobs, we just dealt
with it.”
The system we have now is no comparison to what was
once used by our former counterparts, but nonetheless the
sentiments are the same.
I recently visited the Orlando Communications Center
where the FWC dispatches for the FWC’s Northeast Region.
Duty Officer Supervisor Lois Jarvis was on hand to give me
a tour. I looked around in admiration. Each duty officer had
multiple computer screens with all of the latest technology at
their fingertips; we’ve all come a long way.
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, “There is
nothing permanent except change.” While the FWC progresses
with technology, we’ll continue the passion and dedication of
managing Florida’s fish and wildlife resources for their longterm well-being and the benefit of people.
Communications equipment
in a modern FWC vehicle.
Photo by Greg Workman
Today’s dispatch center
compared to yesterday’s.
Photo by Greg Workman
smalltooth sawfish
The
This adult sawfish
was spotted near
the Jensen Beach
Causeway Bridge on
June 23, 2014 and
reported to the FWC.
Researchers ask
everyone to share
sawfish encounters
by calling 941-2557403 or emailing
photos, videos and
sighting information
to Sawfish@MyFWC.
com. To file a report
of a sawfish sighting
or encounter, please
include the date and
time of the encounter,
the location, the
estimated length of
each sawfish, the
water depth and any
other relevant details.
For more information
on this important
“citizen science”
effort, visit MyFWC.
com/research. Video
courtesy of David
Vickers.
T
he smalltooth sawfish is a critically
endangered species, and is the
only sawfish species found in
Florida waters.
The Charlotte Harbor estuarine
system, which includes the lower reaches
of the Peace and Caloosahatchee rivers,
is one of the largest remaining nursery
areas for the species. While this estuarine
system has been designated as one of
two official critical habitat areas by the
U.S. government, sawfish are still affected
by habitat modifications, especially in
the Caloosahatchee River where flow is
largely regulated by humans.
The smalltooth sawfish is aptly
named, with a characteristic long,
flattened, toothed rostrum or “saw”
extending from its head. The saw is used
for feeding and defense against sharks,
its only known predators. Smalltooth
sawfish swim like sharks but are actually
a type of ray, in part because their gill slits
are on the bottom of their bodies, like
stingrays.
Visit MyFWC.com/research to
learn what’s being done to protect and
conserve this endangered species, and
what you can do to support research
efforts.
Gregg Poulakis
holds a sawfish
that was sampled
in March 2014 near
Matlacha in Lee
County. Dr. Poulakis
and his team have spent
over a decade monitoring
and sampling the smalltooth
sawfish population in
the estuaries of the
Caloosahatchee River, Peace
River and Charlotte Harbor.
Juvenile smalltooth sawfish habitats
differ from adult habitats. Juveniles
inhabit coastal areas such as estuaries,
river mouths and bays year-round,
whereas adults prefer coastal oceanic
habitats. Sawfish use some portions
of their nurseries, called hotspots, for
months at a time, and researchers
have observed movement between
hotspots when conditions such as
changes in river flow cause them to
relocate within the nursery.
FWRI’s smalltooth sawfish research team works out of the FWC’s
Charlotte Harbor Field Laboratory. Dr. Gregg Poulakis (far left)
leads this team of researchers, and the team has been studying
the ecology and life history of the endangered smalltooth sawfish
in the Charlotte Harbor Estuarine System to aid recovery efforts.
In 2009, biologists sampled this smalltooth sawfish in
the Peace River. Researchers tag each sawfish, which
allows them to document movements and determine
which habitats they use. Researchers also collect a fin
clip from each sawfish captured. These small samples
have the potential to help scientists answer a variety
of questions about the biology and ecology of the
smalltooth sawfish.
This is a close up view of the rostrum,
also known as the saw. The rostrum
resembles a saw because it has 22–29
unpaired saw teeth on each side. The
saw is used to slash through schools of
fish, stunning or lacerating them before
they are consumed. Sawfish can also
use their saw to defend themselves from
larger predators like sharks.
Through their work so far, FWC biologists
have discovered some interesting facts about
smalltooth sawfish. They determined that
juveniles double in size during their first
year, growing from a birth length of 2.5 feet
up to 5 feet, and continue to grow relatively
fast in their second year. Researchers also
determined that sawfish are affected by
marine debris, such as discarded fishing line,
but can heal quickly if freed from the debris.
Data also show that juveniles sometimes
occur near specific locations for months,
are found in natural creeks and man-made
canals, and respond to large increases in river
flow by moving downriver.
A team of scientists used DNA analysis to show
that some smalltooth sawfish offspring are
produced by a process called parthenogenesis, or
“virgin birth.” Dr. Gregg Poulakis and his team
collected seven parthenogens during their field
work in the Charlotte Harbor estuarine system,
and scientists at Stony Brook University, FWC,
and the Field Museum discovered that three
percent of sawfish living in southwest Florida are
products of this type of asexual reproduction. The
parthenogenic sawfish were all tagged and released
back into the wild as part of an ongoing study of
sawfish biology and ecology.
How well do you know the flora and fauna
of Florida?
Ghost crabs, sometimes called sand crabs,
can be tough to spot since they spend much
of their time in burrows and typically come
out at night to feed. Their two eyes are able
to see 360 degrees simultaneously, but they
can’t see directly overhead. They venture
into shallow water to wet their gills, feed
or escape predators, but they can’t swim and will drown if
underwater for too long. Florida stone crabs (inset) are much
larger (5 to 6.5 inches wide) than ghost crabs (2 inches wide).
Stone crabs are usually found in water 1 to 5 feet deep. Their
claws may be harvested from Oct. 15 through May 15 and the
crabs returned to the water alive so they can regrow the lost limbs.
The nonnative green iguana is found on Key Biscayne
and in urban and suburban areas elsewhere in southern
Florida, especially where trees form dense canopies
near water. When startled, this primarily arboreal (tree-
Both the green iguana and
Nile monitor (inset) are large,
nonnative lizards. Monitors
can grow over 5 feet in
length and weigh close to 15
pounds, while the iguana is
slightly smaller, averaging
about 6.5 feet long and 11
pounds. Monitors are often
found basking or foraging
for food along canal banks.
If encountered, they typically
flee into the water, where they
can swim swiftly and stay
submerged for an extended
period. The Nile monitor is
listed as a conditional species
in Florida and cannot be
acquired as a pet.
dwelling) species often drops from limbs of trees
and swims or runs away. Babies are bright green,
but adults tend to be grayish green and may develop
orange coloration during the breeding season.
The red-bellied woodpecker
is fairly common in eastern
woodlands and sometimes
ventures into backyards with bird
feeders. This woodpecker can stick
out its barbed tongue almost 2
inches past the tip of its beak in
order to snare elusive prey.
While the male red-bellied
woodpecker has a red cap and nape,
the red-headed woodpecker (inset)
sports an entirely crimson head along
with a white body, half-white and
half-black wings, leading it to be
called a “flying checkerboard.” It’s an
unusual woodpecker in that it feeds
on insects caught in the air as well as
those found by hammering at trees.
The most noticeable feature
of this rather small, heavybodied snake is its pointed,
upturned snout. When
threatened the southern
hognose, like the eastern
hognose, will put on threat
displays including hissing,
spreading its neck and playing
dead. FWC researcher ask
that if you spot a southern
hognose, you report it to
MyFWC.com/conservation.
Photo by Kevin Enge
The southern hognose is sometimes mistaken for a pigmy rattler
(inset) due to the blunt nose and somewhat similar coloration.
However, the hognose has a single large upturned shovel-like scale on
the tip of its snout. It also has round pupils, unlike the catlike vertical
slit found on rattlesnakes, plus it has no pit on the side of the head.
Spotted sunfish are olive-green to brown in color,
with black or reddish spots on the base of each scale
forming rows of dots on its sides. These nest-builders
tend to be more solitary than other members of the
sunfish family. Their preferred habitat is slow-moving,
heavily vegetated streams and rivers with limestone,
sand or gravel substrates. Bass (inset) have longer,
more oval bodies than the more round-shaped panfish
species. Spotted bass are similar to largemouth bass,
but grow slower and not as large as other black bass.
They prefer small to medium streams and rivers, are
seldom found in natural lakes and they do not enter
brackish water.
The brightly colored gallinule’s extremely long toes
help it walk on lily pads without sinking. It can be
found throughout Florida’s freshwater marshes. While
its body might be ducklike, its bill is triangular like a
chicken’s and not flat like a duck’s.
Purple swamphens (inset) are a nonnative rail, larger
than their Florida native relatives; American coots,
common moorhens and purple gallinules. While they
may resemble these native species, the swamphen’s
red-with-yellow-tip bill has a red forehead shield.
Golden silk orb-weavers, sometimes called banana spiders,
are the largest spider found in Florida. Females have
bodies about 1.5-2 inches long, if you include the legs,
they may measure half a foot. While these spiders may
look intimidating, they pose little danger to people. They
only bite if held or pinched and the bite is much less
severe than a bee sting. However, outdoor enthusiasts are
often dismayed when they blunder into one of their webs,
which are generally 3 to 6 feet in diameter.
While female black and yellow garden spiders (inset)
are almost as large as golden silk orb-weavers, their
bodies have yellow and black markings, while banana
spiders have an orange or tan body with yellow spots and
distinctive hair brushes (gaiters) on their legs.
The air potato vine is a native of tropical
Asia that settled in Africa before coming
to Florida in 1905. It is a twining vine with
heart-shaped leaves, which forms dense
canopies over tree communities, shading
out native vegetation important to wildlife.
But there is a new weapon at hand! The
air potato beetle is an approved effective
biological control for the plant. Thanks to
research funded by FWC, years of testing
and help from partners, U.S. Department
of Agriculture scientists released the beetle
throughout Florida. The insect feeds only
on air potato and, in its lifetime, is capable
of consuming an area of the vine about
the size of an average master bedroom. If
you see this plant, kill it with an herbicide
containing the active ingredient glyphosate
(such as Roundup).
An estimated 2 million acres of forest land
in the southern United States is covered
with kudzu (inset). In Florida, kudzu has
been documented in 14 counties. It is
an incredibly swiftly growing vine with
trifoliate leaves (made up of three leaves).
Both kudzu and air potato are listed as
Category I invasive species and are listed
on the Florida Noxious Weed List, making it
“...unlawful to introduce, multiply, possess,
move, or release... except under permit...”
The
call
of the
conch
A
slow-moving but long-lived marine snail, the queen
conch (pronounced “konk”) has become an abiding
symbol of the relaxed pace of life in the Florida Keys —
where the locals affectionately refer to themselves as “conchs.”
Long harvested for its tasty meat and beautiful shell, the queen
conch is now protected from harvest and efforts are being
directed toward replenishing native populations.
Description
The queen conch is actually a soft-bodied mollusk
encased in a large, flared shell. Indeed, its scientific name,
Strombus giga, means “giant spiral shell.” Like all snails, the
queen conch has a single foot with which it propels itself. In
most marine snails, this foot is broad and sturdy, enabling
the animal to glide along the ocean bottom smoothly. But
the foot of the queen conch is narrow and ends in a large,
tough plate or “claw,” called an operculum. When the conch
wants to move forward, it plants the operculum on the
bottom and pushes off like a pole vaulter, resulting in a jerky,
lurching motion that one author has described as “a series
of grotesque leaps and tumblings.” Besides propelling the
conch forward, this ungainly appendage is also useful in
several other ways. By pulling the operculum tightly into
The queen conch has a brilliant pink shell that is commonly used
as a decoration or as material for jewelry. In Florida, possession
of live queen conch at any time is prohibited. It is not unlawful
to possess queen conch shells in Florida as long as the shells
do not contain any living queen conch at the time of collection,
and so long as a living queen conch is not killed, mutilated or
removed from its shell prior to collection. Possession of conch
meat or a queen conch shell having an off-center hole larger
than 1/16 inch in diameter through its spire is prohibited.
the shell opening, the conch uses it as a defense against
predators trying to pry open the conch’s shell. The foot also
serves as a lever for righting the conch when its shell is tipped
upside down or to one side, and it is the foot that contains
the sweet white meat that is used to make conch fritters,
conch chowder and other culinary delights.
The conch is an invertebrate with a soft body, which
consists of the black-speckled foot; two slender, sensitive
tentacles; a “head” with bright yellow eyes perched on
the end of two protruding stalks; and a snout-like mouth
(proboscis), which the conch extends to graze on algaecovered rocks or corals. Enclosing the foot and head is a
snug, orange or yellow fleshy covering called the mantle,
which secretes the shell and also houses the feathery gills
that allow the conch to siphon oxygen from the water.
The eyes of the queen conch are more highly developed
than those of most other snails, giving it a keen, intelligent
appearance. Its excellent eyesight is supplemented by its
tentacles, which also are used to feel and taste the water.
The blood of the queen conch is a colorless liquid called
hemocyanin, which contains copper. It is similar to the ironcontaining hemoglobin in vertebrate animals. In the process
of respiration, oxygen turns the hemocyanin blue — making
queen conchs true “bluebloods” of the animal kingdom.
The queen conch’s shell is its most striking feature. Adults
have a heavy shell with a broad, flared lip that is a glossy
pink, orange or yellow on the interior. The outside of the
shell is marked by a blunt crown of spines that project from
each whorl of the spiral. Queen conchs are “right-handed,”
meaning that as the observer looks at the pointed crown,
The queen conch lives in sand, seagrass bed and coral
reef habitats in warm, shallow water, usually in herds
or aggregations. Unlike most snails, the queen conch
doesn’t glide; it hops after grazing for a few seconds
with its proboscis (mouth) and checking things out
with its eye stalks and tentacles. Then it plants the
claw-like operculum on its single foot to the sea
bottom to help it vault or hop forward. It repeats the
scanning, grazing and moving process over and over.
the spiral coils to the right. A brown, papery layer called the
periostracum covers the shell and collects silt, bacteria and
algae, which help to disguise the animal. The periostracum
flakes off when the shell is removed from the water and dried.
A queen conch shell can be as long as 12 inches and
weigh as much as 5 pounds. In Bermuda, queen conchs may
live 40 years, but in Florida their life span is estimated at 7 to
15 years.
Queen conchs are among the largest gastropods (snaillike animals) in the sea. Females are slightly larger than
males of the same age, but both may increase their shell
length by as much as three inches a year during their active
growing stage. After the animal attains sexual maturity, its
shell continues to thicken, but its lengthwise growth stops.
Range and Habitat
The queen conch is found off Bermuda, the Bahamas,
and throughout the entire Caribbean. Of the 55 species of
conchs worldwide, six occur in Caribbean and Florida waters.
In Florida, queen conchs are most abundant in the
Florida Keys but are occasionally found as far north as St.
Lucie Inlet on the east coast. Adults are found most often in
coral rubble and in hard-bottom communities of soft corals
and sponges, but they may also take up residence on sandy
bottoms and in seagrass beds. From April to October, adult
conchs gather to spawn offshore in large colonies of up to
10,000 individuals.
Life History
Conchs begin life as creatures so small they can be seen
only with a microscope. These larvae, or “veligers,” bear no
resemblance to the final product. A veliger has wing-like
This is a juvenile queen conch found
in the waters around the Marquesas.
Juveniles (called rollers) are identified
by the lack of the characteristic flared
shell, which only forms once the
conch starts to mature.
lobes covered with bristly stubble called cilia — which help it
swim and direct food to its mouth — and a tiny, transparent
shell that will eventually become the familiar curved
adornment of the mature queen conch.
Veligers spend the first 21 days of their existence drifting
and swimming in the ocean currents, feeding on tiny, onecelled plants called phytoplankton. Then they settle to the
sea floor, the lobes disappear and the “foot” and snout-like
mouth develop. Within a month, the animal begins to take
on the appearance of an adult conch in miniature as it adds
to its shell by secreting liquid calcium carbonate that quickly
hardens into crystals.
When the juvenile’s shell is about 9.5 to 12 inches long,
the lip forms and the shell stops growing in size and length.
Instead, the conch directs its energy to strengthening the
shell and lip, so that the shell becomes thicker and heavier
while the animal inside actually becomes smaller.
Economic Importance
Queen conchs have been part of the human diet for
centuries. Prehistoric Indians who lived in south Florida
3,000 years ago ate conch meat and used the shells to
make cooking utensils and pots, as well as jewelry, buttons,
ceremonial items and trumpets.
Conch has long been a staple food item in the Caribbean.
In Florida, conchs were harvested mainly as curios, until a
1965 law mandated that fishermen utilize the meat as well as
the shell.
In the early days of the conch fishery, fishermen in small
dinghies used glass-bottom buckets to scan the bottom for
conchs and retrieved the animals with long, hooked poles.
The location,
substrate type
and size of a
juvenile queen
conch are
recorded during
a survey done
near Cosgrove
shoal near the
Marquesas.
The advent of scuba gear made conch harvesting easier
and by 1966 between 200,000 and 250,000 conchs per year
were landed in Key West. In 1978 Florida officials placed a
moratorium on commercial harvests, followed by a complete
ban on all harvests in 1985. A year later, queen conch
harvests in federal waters were closed. The queen conch is
now listed in Florida as a protected species.
Scientists with the FWC’s Fish and Wildlife Research
Institute have studied methods to restore conch populations
to sustainable levels. During many years of monitoring conch
populations, FWRI scientists established that nearshore
conch do not reproduce — all reproduction takes place
offshore. Scientists discovered that nearshore conch are
physiologically incapable of reproduction. These nearshore
conch cannot migrate offshore because of a natural barrier,
Hawk Channel, which is poor habitat quality. Yet, larvae
produced offshore can ride the currents and settle nearshore.
However, when transplanted into offshore spawning
aggregations, these same conch become productively viable
and were mating and spawning after only 6 months.
During the 2014 sampling season (May-October)
researchers surveyed 274 randomly selected sites from
Biscayne National Park to the Marquesas. Surveys are done
using SCUBA, and researchers dive for 15 to 30 minutes in
depths of 6 to 60 feet looking for queen conch. During the
survey, researchers lay out approximately 100-foot long
measuring tape four times in the cardinal directions (North,
South, East, and West) and record the habitat, number
of conch, ages and sizes of conch and any reproductive
behavior that’s observed.
Biologist Einat Sandbank
measures the thickness of a
queen conch’s flared shell lip
using a specially made gauge.
Conch age can be estimated
by the thickness of the lip; the
older the conch, the thicker the
shell. Unfortunately, a precise
age cannot be determined and
individuals are only classified by
age class.
A female queen conch lays eggs in sand. During breeding
season (April-October), queen conch aggregate in large
groups to have a better chance of finding mates and
reproducing. Female queen conch can lay up to ten egg
masses during the breeding season. Each egg mass
contains about 400,000 eggs on average, and if stretched
out measures 100 feet. Sadly, only a very small percentage
of those eggs make it to adulthood.
Not only do queen conch have large,
endearing eyes, they are also highly
developed and can theoretically process
color due to the presence of rods and
cones. All queen conch have brown
eyes while other species of conch have
different colored eyes.
Tried everything in shooting sports?
u
o
y
l
i
t
n
u
t
o
N Give blowgunning
a shot
Article and photographs
by John Cimbaro
A
long stalk for
such small prey,” the
wizened hunter thinks as
he slides his foot a little
farther forward.
Thirty paces... twenty...
At ten paces, the old man
slowly lifts his weapon
and blows.
Wait a minute –
“blows”? Born and reared
in South America, I was well
aware of the importance
of the blowgun there.
However, I was surprised
to discover the blowgun
was also used in Malaysia
and the Philippines, and
Modern blowguns are available in three calibers: .40, .50
and .625. Two of these have accessory quivers with darts.
was known to the Cherokee of North
America. Today, blowguns are still used
by native peoples – and by a growing
number of sportsmen around the world
who have taken up the modern-day
challenge of this ancient weapon.
For contemporary cell-phonetoting blowgunners, aluminum has
replaced rivercane and wooden
barrels of their predecessors. Though
traditional blowguns averaged about
8 feet long, today’s offerings come
in easier-to-handle lengths between
2 and 5 feet. Most shooters will be
comfortable with a 3- or 4-footer.
Longer blowguns are easier to aim and
shoot than shorter blowguns, but don’t
add length by purchasing a two-piece
blowgun – one-piece barrels are more
accurate.
There are three commercially
available blowgun calibers. The small
.40 caliber is by far the most common
and is very easy to shoot without
becoming winded. The .50 caliber has
more power but is still easy to blow
for adults or youth. The largest caliber,
the .625 “Big Bore”, requires significant
A wide variety of .40 and .50 caliber darts are available. Left to right are
stun, super stun, spike, mega spike, wire target (the most popular and
accurate), spear and broad head darts, as well as some paintballs.
lung power but can propel the largest
and heaviest darts.
Available dart types are almost
identical between the .40 and .50
calibers and include stun, super
stun, spike, mega spike, wire target,
spear and broad head darts, and
even paintballs. Most new blowguns
will include a small dart selection.
Wire target darts are the most used
(and most accurate), but the other
dart types are also fun for plinking at
balloons, dartboards, stuffed animal
targets or aluminum cans.
The .625 darts are limited in variety
but interesting. They include the
bamboo dart, mini broad head (similar
to the wire target dart and best for
target shooting), stun dart (a favorite
for aluminum can plinking), and multi
dart (which shoots up to seven small
spears in a shotgun-like pattern).
A blowgun target can be made
by packing a large pizza box with at
least eight layers of cardboard. Don’t
use plywood as a target, because
you would need pliers to remove
the darts and might damage them.
Plywood does, however, make a good
backstop behind your target box or the
aluminum cans you’re plinking at.
Safety comes first, and you should
follow all standard gun handling
rules, in addition to the instructions
that come with your blowgun. The
most basic include: always point your
blowgun in a safe direction; never
load it except when shooting; keep
blowguns and darts out of reach of
children unless under supervision;
and be sure of your target and what is
beyond it in case you miss.
Shooting a blowgun is easy, but
there are some blowgun-specific
safety rules as well. Slide a dart pointfirst through the mouthpiece and
into the barrel, pushing the dart cone
past the anti-inhale mouthpiece with
your fingertip. Keep your blowgun
level, so the dart does not fall out.
Take a moderately deep breath facing
away from the mouthpiece – never
inhale through a blowgun or you
may accidentally swallow the dart.
Next, make a good seal against the
mouthpiece with your lips, aim and
blow. You will get much better velocity
and consistency if you “tongue”
your shots by saying “Tuh!” into the
Top to bottom, the .625 caliber “Big Bore” darts include the
bamboo, mini broad head (left), stun (right) and multi dart.
mouthpiece as you blow a quick, sharp
breath.
Keep your head upright and both
eyes open when shooting a blowgun.
Fifteen to 20 feet is a good starting
distance. Aim by looking at the target
and centering it between the two
double-image blowgun barrels you
see. Depending on where your darts
hit, aim higher or lower on the target
until you are hitting the bull’s-eye.
Once you begin regularly hitting the
bull’s-eye, start practicing at farther
distances up to 30 feet. Even with good
aim, you will need to blow consistently
to keep hitting your target – blow too
softly, and your darts drop low; blow
too hard and they will hit high. Now, to
become a master blowgunner all you
will need is practice, practice, practice!
The old hunter smiles as he strides
forward and picks up his fallen prey.
It is hard to look into the future and
he has seen much change of late.
But he hopes that the simple
pleasure of a well-aimed shot from
a blowgun will not be lost with it.
Where can I buy a blowgun?
It’s difficult to find a blowgun offthe-shelf at a local retailer. However,
two popular online blowgun vendors are
Target Zone Sports (Blowguns.net) and
Jungle Blowguns (JungleBlowguns.com,
temporarily closed at time of writing).
Both carry a full line of blowguns,
darts and accessories.Popular blowgun
brands include: Avenger, Bunker Buster
and Terminator in .40 caliber; Amazon
Commando, Extreme Precision CT and
Extreme Ultra Pro in .50 caliber. The only
manufacturer of .625 blowguns is Cold
Steel. A .50 caliber 4-footer is a great allaround choice. Avoid two-piece blowguns,
because one-piece barrels are more
accurate, and make sure you order the
same caliber darts.
an official blowgun target (2.4 inches) with
almost every shot at the range you intend
to hunt, no more than 10 yards. Only .50
caliber blowguns or larger are powerful
enough for hunting. Blowguns are legal for
taking non-protected mammals or nonprotected birds such as black or Norway
rats, house mouse, English sparrow and
starling on private lands.
Blowguns may also be used to take
frogs, except Pine Barrens tree frogs,
gopher frogs and Florida bog frogs
(see Florida Hunting Regulations at
MyFWC.com/hunting/regulations).
Blowguns are not allowed for taking game
birds, crows or game mammals. Hunting
tips are available at the Blowgun Forum
(Blowgunforum.com) and Lefora Blowgun
Forum (Blowgun.Lefora.com).
For more information
If you have questions about
blowgunning, visit the Blowgun Forum
(Blowgunforum.com) and Lefora Blowgun
Forum (Blowgun.Lefora.com). If you are
interested in official competition shooting,
membership in the United States Blowgun
Association is free, and rules and official
targets are available at USBlowgun.com.
Hunting with a blowgun
You should only consider hunting with
a blowgun if you can hit the bull’s-eye of
To aim a blowgun, keep both eyes open,
focus on the target and center it between
the two blowgun barrels (double image)
that you see. Raise or lower your point of
aim depending on where your darts strike
until you are hitting the bull’s-eye.
Ghosts
of the woods
and waters
Pigment aberrations
in wild animals
By Selena Kiser
H
ave you ever been wildlife
watching and noticed an
unusual all-white individual or
strange white pattern in an animal that
shouldn’t be white? There are plenty
of naturally white animals found in
Florida, particularly wading birds, such
as egrets, ibises and storks, but there are
rare occasions when you come across
something that seems a bit odd. Maybe
you’ve seen a curious white patch on
what should be an all-black grackle,
or encountered a white alligator or
squirrel, lacking their normal coloration.
Or perhaps you’ve come across an
animal that is darker than it should be
or bizarrely colored, for example, a frog
with a blue patch on its skin. These are
all pigment aberrations.
Mammals have only one major type
of pigment, melanin, of which there are
two forms (these create hues of black,
reddish-brown and yellow), produced
by cells called melanocytes. In addition
to melanin, birds have two other
groups of pigments (carotenoids and
porphyrins), which, along with keratin,
create an amazing palette of colors.
Other vertebrates, such as reptiles and
amphibians, have multiple types of
pigment cells called chromatophores,
Ochlockonee River State Park, near Sopchoppy, is
home to a population of white and white-with-gray
squirrels, which are usually visible from the visitors
pavilion. These eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus
carlinensis) are the a product of a rare genetic
mutation and are not albinos, which have pink eyes.
which express various colors such as
yellows, blacks and reds. If one or more
of these pigments or the expression of
the pigments is lacking, the animal will
show atypical colorations.
The abnormal lack of pigments
in an animal, including humans, can
be defined as leucism, albinism or
various other disorders. Some are
genetic mutations that disrupt pigmentproducing cells; others keep pigments
from being expressed in the skin, fur or
feathers. In addition, there are other
terms to describe these mutations, from
partial albinism and pattern mutations,
to chromophoropathy and piebaldism,
to name a few. Does it sound confusing?
Even scientists sometimes get these
terms mixed up and it can be difficult,
especially with only a quick field
observation, to know which kind of
pigment disorder an animal has.
Albinism occurs when pigmentproducing cells are defective and not
able to properly form pigments. This
extends throughout the body, affecting
not just the skin, feathers and fur, but all
tissues. A true albino is lacking pigment
all over, including the eyes, which
typically look pink, due to the color of
the blood vessels. These individuals
Amelanism is caused by a lack of pigments called
melanins. In this case, the animal is not pure
white, but is often pink or yellow, depending of
the remaining non-melanin pigments. Melanism,
extremely dark coloration such as that seen in the
black panther, is the opposite of amelanism. This
newborn rattlesnake is an example of amelanism.
are rare in the wild as they stand out,
in comparison to regularly pigmented
ones, and are more susceptible to
predation. They also are more likely
to sunburn and to have compromised
senses – vision and hearing are often
poor in albinos. They rarely reach
adulthood in the wild; more often you’ll
find these animals in captivity.
In leucism, however, it is not the
pigments that are malfunctioning. In this
disorder, the skin itself is defective, and
pigment cells – even healthy ones – die
or are not able to express their pigment.
In this case, areas not covered with skin,
such as eyes or beaks, retain normal
pigmentation. This explains why you
may see a white individual that still has
dark eyes, unlike albinism, where there
is no pigment in any part of the body.
In addition, you might spot an
animal with distinct white splotches
or white patches scattered throughout
the body. This could be due to
piebaldism, a pattern mutation or
some other pigment anomaly affecting
a part of the body. Another type of
mutation in reptiles, amphibians,
fish and some invertebrates, called
chromatophoropathy, may affect
certain chromatophores that produce
True albino animals have no
pigmentation - meaning they are
white with red or pink eyes. They
also usually have poor eyesight.
Leucistic animals are also white,
but tend to have dark eyes.
one pigment, but not all of them,
causing atypical colors. One example is
axanthism, either partial or complete,
where one or several pigments are
missing; an axanthic green treefrog
might have blue skin instead of green
(from the absence of yellow pigments).
There is also a mutation that causes
the opposite effect. Instead of a lack
of color, extra pigment is produced.
When melanism occurs, the individual is
darker than normal. A more well-known
example of a melanistic abnormality is
the “black” panther, which is the name
for darkly pigmented leopards in Africa
and Asia and jaguars in South America
as well as other closely related species.
This aberration is more common
than albinism or leucism, since dark
individuals can still blend in with their
surroundings and are more likely to
survive to adulthood and reproduce.
Even though the science and
terminology of all the different types
of pigment aberrations are confusing,
hopefully you’ll be better able to
appreciate the uniqueness and good
fortune it took for you to be able to
encounter such an individual in the wild.
The unique coloration of this
tarpon is caused by lack of
melanin. Many animals with
color mutations do not live
long in the wild because they
are more easily seen, and
therefore preyed upon, than
those with normal colorations.
A common form of
leucism is localized or
partial hypopigmentation,
resulting in irregular
patches of white commonly known as
piebald. The word
“piebald” is a combination
of “pie” from “magpie”
(referring to that bird’s
distinctive black-andwhite plumage) and “bald”
meaning “white patch” or
area. Pictured here is an
American robin.
The Big Bend
Saltwater Paddling Trail
By Selena Kiser
Photo by Tim Donovan
P
addling a canoe or kayak is one
of the best ways to get close to
nature, especially in Florida,
where we are lucky to be surrounded
by so much water. Sea kayaking,
in particular, is a very rewarding
experience. You can immerse yourself in
wildlife, as coastal birds and marine life
are much less disturbed by a kayak than
a motorized boat.
One of the most remote and
pristine expanses along the Florida
coast is the Big Bend area along the
Gulf of Mexico. Here is where you’ll
find the 105-mile Big Bend Saltwater
Paddling Trail, which stretches from
the Aucilla River on the Jefferson/
Taylor County line southward to the
Suwannee River on the Dixie/Levy
County line. This section is also part
of the more comprehensive Florida
Circumnavigational Saltwater Paddling
Trail (Segment Six).
The BBSPT follows an area of the
coast that is predominantly public
land, most of which consists of the
Big Bend Wildlife Management Area.
In 1986, The Nature Conservancy
purchased this property, protecting
more than 70,000 acres. The state
Fishing from a
kayak can be very
rewarding, as this
angler discovered
at the FWC’s Guy
Harvey Saltwater
Camp.
Photo by Tim Donovan
subsequently bought the land, and
ownership was handed over to the FWC
in 1987. In addition to the Big Bend
WMA, the northern part of the BBSPT
parallels Econfina River State Park and
the easternmost portion of St. Marks
National Wildlife Refuge. On the south
end of the trail, near the Suwannee
River, is Lower Suwannee River
National Wildlife Refuge.
The BBSPT is open to paddlers
from Sept. 1 to June 30. Along its route
are eight overnight stops, six of which
are primitive campsites designed for
trail users. These campsites require
a free permit from the FWC. The two
stopovers that don’t require a permit
include the Econfina River campsite
and your choice of accommodation
in the town of Steinhatchee. The
distance between overnight stays is
approximately 10 to 14 miles. As such,
the BBSPT is designed for more skillful
paddlers. You should have experience
with open-water kayaking and be able
to competently paddle these distances
with a fully loaded craft.
Because the BBSPT follows a
mostly undeveloped coastline, cell
phone coverage is spotty, and there are
One of the year’s highlights at the St. Marks
National Wildlife Refuge is the annual monarch
butterfly migration culminating in the Monarch
Butterfly Festival, which will be Oct. 24 this year.
Photo by Brooke Talley
very few towns and amenities along
the way. So, if you aim to do the entire
trail in one outing, make sure you have
the gear and provisions you need for
the duration. There are five places to
obtain drinking water along the route;
you’ll want at least one gallon per
person per day. There are only a few
small restaurants and places to buy
food along the way – in the towns of
Steinhatchee, Horseshoe Beach and
Suwannee – so plan ahead. For your
safety, it is essential that you don’t
paddle this trail alone, and remember
to pack emergency supplies. To learn
more about preparing for an adventure
along the BBSPT, watch the FWC’s Big
Bend Saltwater Paddling Trail safety
video. If you prefer to do only a part
of the trail at a time, it can easily be
broken up into shorter trips. There
are also guides and outfitters who can
either provide you with a kayak or offer
you shuttle service to boat launch sites.
The wildlife you may encounter
along the way includes a multitude of
wading birds and shorebirds. Please
remember that these birds are very
sensitive to disturbance during their
breeding seasons, which varies by
One advantage of traveling by
canoe or kayak is the ability
to move very quietly and not
startle local wildlife with a
noisy approach.
species, but primarily runs from early
spring to late summer. As there are
some uninhabited islands along the
BBSPT that contain bird rookeries,
paddlers must keep their distance –
preferably at least 110 yards – from
these important nesting sites to keep
disturbance to a minimum. In addition
to birds, manatees and dolphins are
the primary mammals you’ll see, along
with occasional raccoons foraging
along the shore. It is too salty for
alligators, except in brackish water
where rivers meet the ocean. Sea
turtles, however, are a possibility,
and you might encounter them
feeding among the seagrass beds. To
make your wildlife experience more
enjoyable, don’t forget your waterproof
binoculars!
To learn more about the Big Bend
Saltwater Paddling Trail, the FWC has
published a water-resistant guidebook
with detailed maps. It is highly
recommended and very handy to have
while out on the trail; it also gives
additional information to help you
better plan your trip. You can order the
$15 guide through the Fish & Wildlife
Foundation of Florida’s online catalog.
One mammal you are likely to see in
your travels is the dolphin. Remember
it is against federal law to feed or
harass wild dolphins. Swimming with
or feeding dolphins can be dangerous
for both human and dolphin and
should not be attempted.
The St. Marks Lighthouse has been a
navigational beacon for more than 150 years
and is the second-oldest light station in Florida.
Photo by Tim Donovan
Destination Conservation:
protecting
shorebird
rooftop
nesting
sites
By Selena Kiser
Rooftops can be safer for some shorebirds to raise their young because
they are away from the disturbances on the beach and out of reach of
predators. On the beach it can be difficult for nesting birds and their
chicks, such as this least tern. Photo by Carol Rizkalla
W
hen you think of nesting shorebirds, you typically
envision them on the beach. However, loss of natural
habitat has caused some beach-nesting birds to resort to
nesting on building rooftops. Several species in Florida are known
to nest on rooftops – least tern, roseate tern, black skimmer and
American oystercatcher – all of which are imperiled. In Florida,
On Florida’s Atlantic Coast in Brevard County, a team of biologists,
businesses and volunteers are making sure the chicks of imperiled
shorebirds nesting on rooftops survive. The Space Coast Shorebird
Partnership, FWC and several local businesses are working
together on “chick-proofing” rooftops with guard fences and drain
covers. Black skimmer and chick photo by Carol Rizkalla
least terns are the most likely of these to use building roofs for nesting; more than half
of breeding pairs do so.
Unfortunately, not all rooftops are suitable. They need to be flat and they
must have a proper substrate, preferably gravel. There should also be a perimeter
In 2013, 14 rooftops in Brevard County were documented to have least terns or
black skimmers nesting, while only three ground nesting sites for terns and none for
skimmers were reported. Here FWC staff members and a partner from NASA bend 12inch wide sections of hardware cloth 90 degrees to make a 6-inch tall fence to prevent
flightless least tern chicks from walking off the edge of an apartment building roof.
around the roof that forms a barrier, so that chicks aren’t as likely
to fall off the building.
FWC staff, volunteers and partners prepare known rooftop
nesting sites prior to the shorebird breeding season, which
generally occurs from March to August. These rooftop stewards
improve nesting conditions to protect chicks. For buildings that
Rooftops also have dangers such as chicks falling off roofs or
being washed down drain pipes. The Space Coast Shorebird
Partnership worked with building owners on measures to prevent
chicks from experiencing those disasters during the 2014 nesting
season. Here a volunteer works to cover drain holes.
don’t have a rooftop barrier, stewards install hardware
cloth to act as a temporary fence. They also cover any
drain holes and other roof openings to prevent chicks
from being washed down drain pipes. They monitor
A partner from the Sea Turtle Preservation Society works
to cover different types of drains on the Indian Harbour
Beach Winn-Dixie rooftop to keep least tern and black
skimmer chicks being washed down with the rainwater.
nesting colonies and return any flightless chicks
that have fallen off. Volunteers even work with
landlords to create new habitat on buildings that
were previously unsuitable for nesting.
Hanging out in the Winn-Dixie parking lot
in Indian Harbour Beach is an adult black
skimmer and a juvenile capable of flight.
Destination Conservation, an online photo
journal, was created by the FWC to showcase the
agency’s efforts to save Florida’s wildlife. Learn
Even the maintenance crew for an apartment complex
helped create a new rooftop habitat. The previous
year the crew and a resident of the apartment
building returned several flightless least tern chicks
to the rooftop after they walked off the edge.
more about this project by visiting the FWC’s flickr site or
facebook site (scroll to the March 6, 2014 entry). If you’d like
to become a shorebird volunteer for this or other projects,
please visit flshorebirdalliance.org/our-work.aspx or contact
FWC staff at [email protected].
Close-up of finished product: chick-fence made of 12 inch
hardware cloth bent to 90 degrees, held down with bricks
zip tied to the hardware cloth. This temporary chick-fence
will keep least tern chicks from walking off the edge of an
apartment building roof during nesting season (MarchAugust) and falling prey to feral cats, seagulls and crows.
What’s in
a name?
By Selena Kiser
J
ust like the names given to us by
our parents, biologists designate
a distinct name to each and every
species. From longleaf pines and roseate
spoonbills, to giant swallowtails and
banded tree snails, names help anyone
interested in nature understand exactly
which one of the millions of species
inhabiting Earth is being discussed.
Unlike common names, which some
species lack, every single known
living species (excluding viruses) has a
scientific name, consisting of a genus
name (capitalized) and a species name
The green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is
a marine-dwelling species that can reach
a length of 3.2 feet and a weight up to
400 pounds. The Florida green sea turtle
population nests between the months
of June and September. The name may
be confusing since the green sea turtle’s
carapace (top portion of the shell) is not
actually green, only its body fat is that
color. Adult green turtles are the only
herbivorous sea turtle – they eat only
plants, feeding primarily on seagrasses
and algae. This diet is thought to give
them their greenish-colored fat. Title
page: Bald eagle adult and juvenile. This
species isn’t actually bald - in zoology
the word describes white feathers or
markings on the head.
(lower case). This is what biologists call
“binomial nomenclature.” Scientific
names are typically based on Latin or
Greek words (the reason they are also
sometimes called Latin names), but they
can be derived from other languages
or can be names of people or places.
For example, the bald eagle’s scientific
name, Haleaeetus leucocephalus,
literally means, “white-headed seaeagle” (leuco = white; cephalus = head;
haleaeetus = sea-eagle).
Sometimes a scientific name
describes a species better than the
common name and sometimes it’s the
other way around. Common names have
been applied to species for hundreds,
The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is a
species of raptor that is sometimes
mistaken for the bald eagle. Several
features distinguish the osprey from
other birds of prey, including a reversible
fourth toe and spines located on their
feet that are used to help grasp their
prey as they fly over the water. Osprey
feed by flying over water and diving
feet first to grasp fish with their talons.
The genus Pandion was described by
the French zoologist Marie Jules César
Savigny in 1809, and is taken from a
mythical Greek king, Pandion.
if not thousands, of years, but they are
often not standardized. A species might
have several common names, and a
common name may have been given to
several different species. Today, some
of the animal groups, such as birds and
butterflies, have accepted common
names, in addition to scientific names.
These are agreed upon by professional
groups of biologists, whose task is
to make sure that both common and
scientific names are standardized. So,
for instance, when ornithologists –
who study birds – mention redheaded woodpeckers, it is implied
that they are only talking about the
The knight anole (Anolis equestris), which
is native to Cuba, has become established
over much of the heavily planted suburbs
of south Miami. Knight anoles feed on
large insects, smaller anoles, nestling birds
and fruits. Males may exceed 18 inches
in length and have huge pink dewlaps.
Although alert, knight anoles are slower
than many other anoles and are more
prone to stand their ground and even
become aggressive when disturbed, often
biting their attacker. This anole’s profile,
featuring a large, bony head reminiscent
of a knight chesspiece, resulted in the
name “equestris” meaning “knight.”
red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes
erythrocephalus = meaning “red-headed
black creeper”) found primarily in
the eastern two-thirds of the United
States, and not any other woodpecker
species that may have red markings
on the head. Unfortunately, some
groups of living organisms, such as
plants, do not have standardized
common names. Someone might call
The atala (Eumaeus atala) was once
abundant in Florida’s tropical pinelands
and hardwood hammocks where a native
cycad called coontie grew. The coontie
was over-harvested and by 1965 there
was a single known population of atalas.
That colony died and the butterfly was
thought to be extinct. But in the late
1970s another colony was found on
Virginia Key. Local conservationists placed
potted coontie plants in this colony and
plants with eggs were moved to other
locations and new colonies started. Today
the atala is found throughout urban and
natural areas around Ft. Lauderdale and
Miami and has also been successfully
introduced into Everglades National Park.
Cuban zoologist Felipe Poey named the
butterfly for Atala, the Native American
heroine of an 1801 French novel by
Chateaubriand, “Atala ou les amours de
deux sauvages dans le désert.”
Vaccinium arboreum (North America’s
largest native blueberry, found in the
Southeast) a sparkleberry, farkleberry or
a tree huckleberry, although they are all
common names for the same plant. In
addition, the common name, ironwood,
may refer to one of two members in the
birch family, Carpinus caroliniana, which
is also called the American hornbeam,
musclewood and blue beech, or to
Ostrya virginiana, which is also called
the eastern hophornbeam. Common
names, therefore, can get confusing at
times, but at least scientific names go
through a rigorous review process by
In 1982 the Florida bog frog (Lithobates
okaloosae), was discovered by now-retired
FWC biologist Paul Moler in Okaloosa
County and was named in recognition
of that county. This frog is known from
fewer than 100 sites, most of which
are within the boundaries of Eglin Air
Force Base. The Florida bog frog has
less webbing between its toes than other
American frogs, and it toes extend well
beyond the webbing. It is an endemic
species (found only in Florida) and is
listed as a Species of Special Concern. The
genus name comes from litho (stone) and
the Greek bates (one who treads), meaning
rock climber. Photo by Kevin Enge.
biologists.
Although the Greek philosopher,
Aristotle, first had the notion of
classifying animals thousands of years
ago, scientific names as we know them
had their beginnings in the 1700s with
the Swedish naturalist, Carl Linnaeus.
He is known as the father of taxonomy,
which is the science of naming species.
In addition to being a physician,
Linnaeus was also a botanist and a
zoologist, and he recognized the need
for species to have unique names to
keep them distinguishable from one
another. And though he’s most credited
for binomial nomenclature, he also
created several more encompassing
taxa, with the largest one known as a
kingdom. He grouped everything then
known into either the plant, animal
It can be difficult to identify the coney by
color since it has three color phases. Its
deepwater phase is red and its shallow
water phase is orange-brown or bicolored
with its upper half normal in color but its
lower portion much lighter. In both those
phases, the head and body has small
blue spots. In the xanthic (yellow) color
phase it is found in shallow or deepwater.
The coney was originally described as
Cephalopholis fulva by Linnaeus in 1758.
or mineral kingdoms; today there are
plant, animal, fungi, bacteria and protist
kingdoms. Each kingdom is divided into
subcategories: phylum, class, order,
family, genus and species. All the species
are organized by how closely related
they are to one another. For example,
all “true frogs” belong to Kingdom
Animalia, Phylum Chordata (animals
with notochords), Class Amphibia
(amphibians), Order Anura (frogs and
toads), and Family Ranidae (true frogs,
containing hundreds of species).
As biologists learn more
about individual species and their
relationships to others, especially
through the field of genetics, they may
The red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides
borealis) is slightly larger than a bluebird.
Once common in the vast expanses of
mature pine forests that covered much of
the southeastern coastal plain, the redcockaded woodpecker is now a federallylisted endangered species. Today, the
birds’ preferred habitat – the longleaf
pine ecosystem – has disappeared from
97 percent of the lands it once occupied.
The name of this woodpecker comes from
“cockade,” which is a decoration on a
hat. The male red-cockaded woodpecker
sports a small red line on the sides of its
head just below its black “cap.”
be moved to a different grouping and
their names changed to reflect their new
status. Species names are typically quite
rigid, but the genus name may change;
common names also change when
appropriate. Since many organisms were
named and placed in their hierarchy
well before genetic methods were
used, scientists typically organized
them by their appearance, and how
they best thought they were related to
other organisms. But looks can be very
deceiving, and many organisms have
been incorrectly classified according
to physical traits, such as coloration or
morphology – for example, whales and
dolphins were once classified as fish
instead of mammals just because they
George Perry named the lined seahorse
Hippocampus erectus in 1810.
Hippocampus means "horse or sea
monster" in ancient Greek and erectus is
Latin for “upright.” This species sports
many colors, from grey and black to red,
green and orange, and their colors change
depending on their surroundings, diet,
mood or stress level. Like other seahorses,
the male gives birth to the young and is
the caregiver. This lined seahorse was
found near staghorn coral being grown at
the FWRI’s nursery in the Florida Keys
lived in the sea and seemed to behave
like fish. Some species, such as the
mallard, in which males and female look
very different (sexual dimorphism), have
even been categorized as two separate
species, until biologists observed they
were, in fact, the same.
Taxonomy is an ever-changing
discipline, constantly being revised as
new species are discovered and known
ones are studied further. Naming species
is less of a guessing game than it once
was. Advancements in genetics and
molecular biology have given biologists
tools to decipher the relationships
between all living things on the planet,
in ways that Linnaeus and other early
naturalists would never have dreamed.
The southern form of the timber
rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) is
sometimes called a canebrake rattlesnake.
In Florida, it is has a very limited range –
mainly in the northern peninsula. It’s
found in flatwoods, river bottoms or
hammocks, as well as abandoned fields
and around farms. The name crotalus
comes from the Greek word krotalon,
which means “rattle” or “castanet” and
horridus is Latin for “bristly.”
The burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) is a pint-sized bird
that lives in open, treeless areas, spending most of its time
on the ground, where its sandy brown plumage provides
camouflage from potential predators. One of Florida's smallest
owls, it averages 9 inches in height with a wingspan of 21
inches. Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are active both day
and night. During the day, they are usually seen standing at
the mouth of the burrow or on a nearby post. When disturbed,
the owl bobs in agitation and utters a chattering or clucking
call. In flight, burrowing owls typically undulate as if they
are flying an invisible obstacle course. They also can hover in
midair, a technique effective for capturing food. True to its
name, the burrowing owl nests in a hole in the ground, the
only owl to do so.
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A Florida red-bellied cooter “smiles”
for the camera. Photo by Karen Parker.
By Selena Kiser
P
addling along a river or picnicking by a lake
on a sunny day, you may observe turtles
basking on a partially submerged log or
rock and wonder what type they are. It can be a
challenge to figure out which kind you’re seeing,
especially since they often dive into the water
just as you’re about to get a good look.
The United States has more species
of turtle than any other country, and the
Southeast is the most diverse region, with
13 percent of all turtle species in the world.
Florida has many aquatic basking turtles, and
some of the most commonly seen belong to
the group called the cooters. The name was
likely derived from the word “kuta,” which
translates to turtle from several African
languages, or “cootah,” which is also the word
for turtle in Gullah (the African-descended
culture located in South Carolina and
Georgia).
Cooters are part of a large family made
up of both box and basking turtles (family
Emydidae). Cooters are the largest members
of this family. The average shell length for
Found in the Florida peninsula is the
appropriately named peninsula cooter.
It has a greenish carapace with dark
markings and tends to prefer slowmoving waters. Photo by Jonathan Mays.
Florida species is 9 to 13 inches, with females often being
slightly longer than males. As adults, they are primarily
herbivorous, eating aquatic vegetation. Although
people may mistakenly think all basking turtles they
see are cooters, only those species that belong to the
genus Pseudemys are cooters, the standard name given
by herpetologists – biologists who study reptiles and
amphibians.
There is ongoing discussion among herpetologists
as to whether there are three or four cooter species in
It can be a challenge to tell the difference between the
cooter species in Florida. From left to right, sharing
the same log, are the river, peninsula and Florida redbellied cooters. These three species only overlap in
parts of north Florida. Photo by Jonathan Mays.
Florida, based on their genetics. For
this article, we’ll consider the river
cooter, Florida red-bellied cooter and
peninsula cooter. However, some
herpetologists recognize the Suwannee
cooter as a full species; see below. The
Aquatic turtles are ectotherms (“coldblooded”) and need to bask in the sun
to gain heat in order to carry out certain
activities, such as feeding or mating. Here,
a group of Suwannee cooters bask on a log
together. Photo by Jonathan Mays.
former species tends to prefer rivers
and streams. The latter two prefer
somewhat slower waters in lakes,
ponds, springs, canals, marshes and
swamps, although all three species
can be found living in the same
waterways. Distinguishing between
the cooter species often requires close
observation, but you can also use
geography to help with identification.
The river cooter is widespread,
found in much of the southeastern
United States. In Florida, it occurs
in the Panhandle and northwestern
part of the peninsula. One of the
river cooter subspecies is called
the Suwannee cooter, which some
herpetologists consider a separate
species. It is restricted to river
systems in Florida that feed into
the Gulf of Mexico, extending from
the Ochlockonee River west of
Tallahassee southward to the Alafia
In the past, Suwannee cooters were
hunted for their meat. Today they are
protected as a State Species of Special
Concern by Florida’s Endangered and
Threatened Species Rule, making it
is illegal to take, possess, or sell a
Suwannee cooter. Photo by Alex Kropp.
River near Tampa Bay. The river
cooter has a slightly flattened, brown
to black carapace (top shell) that
flares in the back, which makes it
appear more streamlined. Its head
and neck have several yellow or
orange stripes.
The Florida red-bellied cooter
is native to Florida and parts of
southern Georgia. It can be seen in
much of Florida, but it is absent from
the western half of the Panhandle.
Like other cooters, they also have
yellow stripes on their legs and neck,
including unique yellow lines on the
face that form an “arrow.” But the best
way to identify a Florida red-bellied
cooter is to look for the wide, reddish
bands along the sides of their dark
carapace.
As its name implies, the peninsula
cooter is located throughout the
Florida peninsula and is absent
from the Panhandle. The carapace is
greenish with dark markings, and it
also has head and neck stripes that
are yellow or greenish-yellow. It looks
A peninsula cooter basks on a log.
Photo by Karen Parker
quite similar to the river cooter, but their ranges do not overlap
for the most part except in the northern part of the peninsula.
Two similar species that can be confused with cooters
are pond sliders (in the Panhandle and northern Florida)
and chicken turtles (throughout Florida), but they are both
somewhat smaller than adult cooters. Pond sliders usually have
either a yellow or red blotch behind the eye, depending on the
subspecies. Chicken turtles have long necks with yellow stripes
and a broad yellow stripe on the inside of their front legs.
From the top, a Florida redbelly, a Suwannee cooter and a
peninsula cooter share a log. Photo by Karen Parker.
Like all aquatic turtles, cooters must return to land
to lay their eggs. That is an ideal time to get a better look
at one of these typically shy turtles – although don’t get
close enough to disturb them. Females have to find a dry
spot that won’t get flooded, not too far from water, so that
the hatchlings have only a short distance to travel back
to safety. In Florida, peak nesting periods vary for each
species, but overall it’s possible to see a cooter laying eggs
nearly any time of year.
Although cooters have been around for millions
From August to October 2014, FWC biologists surveyed the
Weeki Wachee and Crystal rivers to see if they contained
populations of Suwannee cooters. Armed with binoculars,
staff in kayaks paddled down the rivers, searching for
cooters on banks and other basking locations. Everywhere
a turtle was spotted, researchers recorded the GPS location
and information such as the turtle's sex and age class.
Knowing Suwannee cooters today can be found along the
Weeki Wachee and Crystal rivers, FWC biologists are now
ready to focus on the next steps of making sure these
turtles continue to thrive there. Photo by Brooke Talley.
of years, these ancient
reptiles need our help.
In addition to preserving
rivers and wetlands, it
is necessary to protect
land adjacent to these
areas for nesting and for
use as travel corridors.
Boaters are encouraged
to go slowly when they
see turtles at the surface,
as it takes time for them
to react and dive deep
enough to avoid being hit.
Drivers also should keep an
eye out for cooters crossing
roads.
Do your part, and
the next time you’re
out enjoying the water,
bring your binoculars
along and see if you can
identify some of Florida’s
fascinating cooters.
Anna Deyle, assistant
regional biologist, holds up
a Florida redbelly during her
examination of the turtle.
Photo by Karen Parker.
The Florida red-bellied cooter can be identified by the wide,
red bands on the sides of the carapace (upper shell). It is
found in much of Florida (except the western Panhandle),
extending into southern Georgia. Photo by Jonathan Mays.
Article and
photographs by
Selena Kiser
A wildlife haven in
Sumter County
O
utdoor enthusiasts may overlook
the beauty and tranquility
that Sumter County offers as a
destination for nature-based activities.
Being an inland, rural county, it might
not be as popular as neighboring
coastal counties to the west and Lake
County to the east. However, nearly a
third of Sumter County is set aside as
conservation land. One of these havens
is Half Moon Wildlife Management Area,
a 9,554-acre property just east of the
Withlacoochee River that contains a wide
diversity of species and habitats. From
wetlands and hardwood hammocks
to flatwoods and sandhills, a host of
animals have made this special place
their home.
Half Moon WMA, managed by the
FWC, is co-owned by the FWC and the
Southwest Florida Water Management
District. The SWFWMD initially acquired
land from the Carlton Half Moon
Ranch to protect a portion of the
Withlacoochee River, which makes
up the western boundary, and Gum
Slough, which traverses the northern
part of the WMA and feeds into the
river. In 1989, the FWC bought land to
the east of the original tract, nearly
An informational kiosk is located
at the main entrance to Half
Moon WMA off County Road 247.
doubling its size.
With 24 miles of multi-use trails,
Half Moon WMA has plenty to keep
you busy for an entire day. In fact, one
day isn’t enough time to really explore
everything it has to offer, so you might
want to come back for multiple visits!
There are many adventures to be had,
be it birding, hiking, biking, horseback
riding, photography, hunting or fishing.
Wildlife watching offers a host of bird
species, including the threatened
Florida scrub-jay, in addition to
American alligators hanging out in
the wetlands and white-tailed deer
foraging in the flatwoods. Along Mill
Creek Road, just north of Alto Landing
Road, there is a pair of bat houses near
the fishing dock/viewing area that,
when occupied, can be viewed near
sunset as bats depart for nighttime
insect patrol. In addition to this viewing
area, there is also a scenic vista at the
newly built boardwalk and bridge over
Mill Creek.
Various hunting seasons occur
on selected dates from October to
January, with deer hunting being
among the most popular; spring
turkey season takes place in March
Yellow Loop Trail is the primary
multi-use trail at the WMA’s
entrance. The other multi-use
trails are accessed from this trail.
and April. Fifteen ponds, created when
the land was a cattle ranch, are now
ideal fishing spots throughout the year.
Vehicular traffic is not allowed in the
WMA except during public hunts, so be
prepared to traverse the area via the
extensive trail system. A bike or horse
allows you to cover the area more
easily. A vault toilet is available at the
check station, approximately one mile
northwest of the entrance.
Although paddling is possible on
the Withlacoochee River on the western
boundary and on Gum Slough to the
north, there is no boat access from
the WMA. You can, however, go to the
Rutland Park boat ramp (open 24 hours
a day) 0.4 miles west of the intersection
of State Road 44 and County Road 247.
From this launch, paddling north on the
Withlacoochee River for approximately
seven miles leads you to the junction
with Gum Slough. This spring-fed
stream is perfect for paddling and
submersing yourself in nature.
Much of Florida, including parts of
Half Moon WMA, was once covered in
longleaf pine flatwoods and sandhills.
To restore these native habitats, the
WMA participates in prescribed burning
Sunset
provides an
opportunity to
watch bats fly
from the bat
houses near
the fishing
dock/viewing
area.
and other beneficial practices. These
vital management techniques promote
the proper conditions for longleaf
pines, and the animals and other plants
associated with them, to thrive. When
planning a visit, just be aware that
burns could occur during your stay.
To get to Half Moon WMA from the
west, follow State Road 44 (East Gulf
to Lake Highway) eight miles east of
Inverness; 0.8 miles after crossing the
Withlacoochee River bridge, turn north
(left) onto County Road 247. From
Interstate 75, follow State Road 44
west for 7.5 miles to County Road 247.
Continue north on County Road 247 for
1.5 miles; park in the grassy area to the
left of the main entrance near the kiosk.
There is private property immediately
to the west of the entrance, so make
sure to enter through the WMA’s gate
and not the private gate. The WMA is
open 24 hours a day, so you can enjoy
the solitude of this site anytime. To
provide accurate visitation data and for
your safety, please record your name
in the entrance logbook. Visit Half
Moon WMA’s recreation page online
for detailed maps and information on
hunting, fishing, hiking and more.
Opportunities for bird watching abound.
Wading birds like this great egret are
especially prevalent along the edges of
freshwater marshes and ponds. Half
Moon also hosts a Florida scrub-jay
population. See the Half Moon bird list
for additional information.
A multiple-use trail system exists on the tract; maps/brochures
are available at the front gate or you can access a PDF on
MyFWC.com/viewing/recreation.
The zebra swallowtail’s distinctive wing shape with long, swordlike tails make it one of the butterflies easiest to identify. The
caterpillars feed only on pawpaw plants. Females lay single eggs
on these plants because the caterpillars are cannibalistic.
The WMA’s observation platform/fishing dock is 2.5 miles inside
the area on the main road.
Coralbean is found throughout Florida in hardwood hammocks
and sandy woods. It blooms from May to June and is a great
hummingbird attractor.
Hiking, biking, and horseback riding are most pleasant on nonhunting days in the fall through the spring when temperatures
are cooler.
This native perennial herb, meadow beauty, is found in wetlands
in the eastern and south-central U.S.
The golden-winged skimmer is common around open ponds and
lakes. It and the Needham’s skimmer are easily confused and
the most noticeable difference is the leg color - Needham’s have
brown legs while golden-wings tend to be more black.
A rustic bridge crosses Mill Creek.
The largeflower rose gentian is native to Florida and southeast
Alabama. It is a member of the gentian family of leafy herbs.
The Scrub Jay Loop Trail is a multiple use trail, like most of the
other trails at Half Moon, other than the hiking-only Gateway
Trail.
The heart of Half Moon contains pine flatwoods with marshes and
oak hammocks scattered throughout.
One of many wildflowers found on Half Moon WMA is candy
root, also called orange milkwort and bog bachelor’s button.
The White Loop Trail Is off the northern portion of the Yellow
Loop Trail and the eastern portion of the Blue Loop Trail.
A new elevated boardwalk opened earlier this year and takes
visitors deep into the scenic floodplain swamp and spans Mill
Creek, a tributary of the Withlacoochee River.
Purple thistle is found in much of the eastern seaboard and
is considered a weed by many since it is almost impossible to
control once it has become established. However, few other
wildflowers are better nectar sources.
A small whirlabout butterfly is difficult to spot on the underside
of a thistle blossom. Whirlabouts grow to only 1 to 1.5 inches
and are found throughout the southeastern United States. It’s
easy to see the sharp spines covering the thistles.
A young alligator in one of the WMA’s ponds is well
camouflaged.
The FWC strives to maintain and restore a diversity of habitats
on Half Moon for the benefit of both visitors and a wide array of
wildlife species.
2015
National Hunting
and Fishing Day
At the beginning of the 20th century, many hunters and anglers
quotas, to prevent further
realized that numerous species of wildlife were being overharvested,
extinctions.
and what were once common species, including white-tailed
After decades of work,
deer and wild turkey, were declining at an alarming rate. This
the first Outdoor Sportsman’s
concern coincided with the extinction of the passenger
Day was adopted in 1970, in
pigeon, North America’s most abundant bird just
Pennsylvania, giving credit to the
decades before, due to wanton overhunting.
many hunters and anglers who helped
Some of these early conservationists, under
establish early sustainable practices for fish
the leadership of President Theodore
and game species. Shortly afterward, the idea
Roosevelt, warned that taking of fish
spread nationally. In 1971, two bills to create a
and game species needed to be
National Hunting and Fishing Day were introduced
regulated, with licenses and
in the senate (by Thomas McIntyre, New
Hampshire) and the house (by Bob Sikes, Florida).
One year later, the bills passed and President
Nixon signed a proclamation for the first National
Hunting and Fishing Day.
The fourth Saturday of every September
continues the observance of honoring those
conservation-minded individuals who promoted
the ideas of protecting fish and game species
more than a century ago. Commemorate their
achievements by celebrating this year’s National
Hunting and Fishing Day on September 26.