Common snook, Centropomus undecimalis is one of five snook species found in Florida and the only one we see here in southwest Florida. Where they live Snook occur from South Carolina to Brazil, including Florida to Texas along… Read More
Are you ready to celebrate? June 14-21 is Cephalopod Week. So exciting! No, we don’t get to take the week off from work, and it’s not a real holiday, but it is a way to raise awareness about and celebrate octopi, squid, cuttlefish… Read More
“Worm” is our common word for invertebrate animals that have soft, elongated bodies. When most people think of worms, they usually think of nightcrawlers or red wigglers. Both may be called earthworms since they both are found in… Read More
Macroalgae are large species of algae often referred to as seaweeds. When not attached to bottom sediments, they are commonly called drift algae. Macroalgae come in colors of red, green, brown and black, and they randomly wash up… Read More
Your ears are prominently displayed on the sides of your head. But when you look at a fish, you can’t see its ears. That’s because a fish’s ears are located inside its head, right behind each eye. Each… Read More
Productivity in natural systems refers to the amount of biomass produced by living organisms over a given period of time. Estuaries are one of the most productive ecosystems on earth, and freshwater inflows are the single most important… Read More
This red tide bloom has been trying for everyone. It is hard seeing our coast, our wildlife, and our economy being impacted to the degree that it currently is. Along with the devastation has come a lot of… Read More
Southwest Florida, no doubt, has an algae problem. Actually it has more than one algae problem. The major culprits at the moment are Karenia brevis (the Florida red tide) along our coast and a couple species of Microcystis… Read More
Vertebrates are animals with a backbone and include mammals, birds and fishes. Considering roughly three-quarters of the earth is covered in water, it should be no surprise that fish are the most numerous vertebrates in the world. According to… Read More
Fish sense the world around them in many ways. While most fish possess sight, hearing, taste, and smell senses, all of which we can easily relate to, they also have sensory means for detecting stimuli, such as water… Read More
