Creatures Of The Everglades

Sorry for the delay in posting more Florida pics. It seems returning from our babysitting duties in Colorado we lost a transmission on our new Buick in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, i.e. Western Nebraska. Since it was days for a fix i.e. getting parts from Omaha etc. we opted for a rent a car to get back to Minnesota. Of course, now I'll have to go back! Grrrr.... In the meantime on with the show!

Besides visiting Ding Darling and Corkscrew, we took some hikes in State Parks and boat rides into the Everglades. The abundance of nature was everywhere. Here are a few of the creatures we saw along the way.

Walking a trail along a channel we came up a manatee lying near the bank. It scooted away quickly in spite of it's great size and weight. Grown-up manatees are about 10 feet long and weigh about 1,200 pounds. Florida manatees do not live in the same place all year. When it is warm, they move into the ocean or the Gulf of Mexico to eat sea grasses. In winter, the manatees must move to a spring, a place where warm water (72 degrees) comes up out of the ground and makes a river. The manatees stay there all winter long. Sometimes, the food runs out before winter is over.Florida Manatees are an Endangered Species, numbering only about 2,000 in total. One of their biggest dangers is being hit by careless speedboaters.

Needless to say, alligators didn't appear to be in short supply.

The Florida Red-bellied turtle was found everywhere in fresh water swamps

The brown anole is a highly invasive lizard spreading throughout the southeast. Often on the ground, they are athletic creatures that run fast, and jump many times their length. They can also climb straight up almost any surface at blinding speed. The brown anole gets used to humans and can be studied at close range.

Our boat ride, into the Ten Thousand Islands part of the Everglades National Park, gave us the opportunity to see dolphins and numerous nesting Ospreys.
Since we live in Minnesota's (The Land Of Ten Thousand Lakes) only county without a lake, the opportunity to see shorebirds like the Black Necked Stilt was highly appreciated.
Speaking of unusual creatures in the Everglades, nightime saw several appear at a local hotspot, the Boop sisters, Betty and Barb. A good time was had by all.... :)