The secret lives of Florida’s crocodiles: study reveals long-distance commutes

The secret lives of Florida’s crocodiles: study reveals long-distance commutes

New research has revealed surprising details about the secret lives of crocodiles swimming through Florida‘s waterways, including the long distances some travel in search of food and shelter, and their ability to slither unnoticed through populous neighborhoods. The preliminary study provides rare insight into the habits and habitat of the species in a state more […]

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Florida Manatees Denied Endangered Species Protections Despite ‘Ongoing Die-Off’

Florida Manatees Denied Endangered Species Protections Despite ‘Ongoing Die-Off’

According to a new proposal put forth by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Florida manatee, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, will remain listed as a threatened species and will be submitted separately for protections from another subspecies, the Antillean manatee. The Antillean manatee has been proposed to be listed as […]

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Florida’s manatees are actually relative newcomers, historical research suggests

Florida’s manatees are actually relative newcomers, historical research suggests

Manatees, long considered among Florida‘s most beloved and enchanting inhabitants, are not native at all, and only came to the Sunshine state for warm temperatures and clear blue waters like any other visitor, researchers have found. The surprise revelation by scientists at the University of South Florida (USF) and George Washington University (GWU) upends decades […]

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Warming Winters Threaten Florida’s Unique Scrub Jay

Warming Winters Threaten Florida’s Unique Scrub Jay

Florida’s iconic scrub jay, the only bird species found exclusively in the state, is facing new challenges linked to global warming. A recent study published in Ornithological Advances highlights how rising temperatures are complicating efforts to conserve this already endangered species. For decades, Florida scrub jay populations have dwindled due to habitat destruction caused by […]

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Lessons from the past may improve the future for manatees

Lessons from the past may improve the future for manatees

While current manatee populations in Florida are threatened, their populations are higher than they ever historically were. Records show that manatee (Trichechus manatus) populations grew and began expanding across the Florida Peninsula during the same documented periods of human population increases, anthropogenic landscape changes, and social and policy changes. But with an increase in humans, […]

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