Earth Day originated 56 years ago as a reaction to the shocking headlines of oil spills, a polluted river catching fire, wildlife suffering from pesticide poisoning, and a general feeling that we’d been taking the planet for granted for ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, Water, Wildlife
Kayaking through a crystal blue spring, hiking among longleaf pines and discovering gopher tortoise burrows, gliding past alligators by boat in Mobile Bay, private tours of the Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center, meeting hundreds ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, Water, Wildlife
The Snake Watch project began in 2022. The purpose was to educate the public about which of the 40 species and subspecies of snakes found in the Pensacola Bay area were most often encountered and what time of year they were. We do not train ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, Wildlife
If you look at the more popular snake guides of Florida, they only list four species known to inhabit there; and the pygmy rattlesnake is not one of them. However, I continue to survey for snakes on the islands I am finding species not listed ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Wildlife
This species is the one that causes the most concern for folks and enhances their fear of all snakes. The eastern diamondback rattlesnake (EDB) (Crotalus adamanteus) is the largest venomous snake in the U.S. Most today will only reach a length ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, WildlifeRattlesnakes are only found in the new world. Species exist in North, South, and Central America. In the U.S. and Canada there are 30 known species. Most prefer high dry habitats, but many can be found on high ridges near, or within wetlands, ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Wrapping up my trio of west coast-based articles today, I’m focusing on California mussels (Mytilus californianus). When we walked down the beach near Malibu, every single rock was covered in these bulky shells. Packed in close together, ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Wildlife
If you’ve ever gone scuba diving or seen underwater footage of the cold waters off the Pacific coast, you’ll likely recognize giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera). The strappy greenish-brown blades of this seaweed form a thick, upright, ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Forests, Natural Resources, Water, Wildlife
Over the holidays, my family took a trip out to the west coast. As always when experiencing a new place, I'm curious to see ecosystems that differ greatly from the ones I know well. So, for the next few weeks I’ll kick off the new year ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, WildlifeThe purpose of consuming food is to acquire energy. It does not make sense to expend more energy to kill your prey than you will receive from consuming it; there would be a net loss. Therefore, as we mentioned in Part 2, predators select ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Wildlife