Health Advisories Health advisories are issued in estuarine systems by the Department of Health when colonies of Enterococcus bacteria surpass 71 colonies/100ml of sample. If they get this number a second sample is pulled to… Read More
The history of life on our planet is divided into “Ages”. There was the “Age of Fish” and the “Age of Reptiles”, and they say we are now in the “Age of Mammals” – actually… Read More
It is understood that the number one cause of species decline worldwide is habitat loss. As habitats are altered and removed, fish and wildlife species adapt, move, or die. The planet has witnessed an overall… Read More
In Lesson 2 we discussed how amphibians and reptiles modified the fish body design to live on dry ground. We also explained how the reptiles did a much better job of it. But there are… Read More
When you think of reptiles, the ocean is the not the first thing that comes to mind. Swamps, jungles, and deserts maybe, but not the ocean. This makes sense though being that reptiles are more… Read More
We’re highlighting all things Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) in 2021 as the program marks its 20th anniversary. To learn more about FMNP, view the first blog post here. By Justina Dacey and Rick O’Connor If there were… Read More
Vertebrates are animals that have backbones and are the ones most familiar to everyone. They include the fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. But there are a couple of creatures that are not truly vertebrates… Read More
Echinoderm means “spiny skin” and some members of this phylum are very spiny. The sea urchin is almost like a round shaped roaming cactus on the seafloor. Many think the spines are venomous, and some… Read More
The crustaceans belong to the most successful group of animals on the planet – the arthropods. The phylum Arthropoda has an estimated 800,000 species, some say almost one million, which equates to about 90% of… Read More
Based on diversity and species richness, at 80,000 species (maybe more) mollusk are one of the most successful animal phyla on the planet. These creatures are bilateral/coelomates meaning they have a distinct head region and… Read More
