Wildlife Viewing in the Everglades

wildlifeIt’s that time of year again! Wildlife view season in the Everglades. Sure, you can see birds and animals in the Park year-round, but more species migrate to the area during this winter, dry season. Unlike other areas of the country, the Everglades remains warm and since it is the dry season, there are also low water levels, which creates the ideal environment for many species to spend there time in…and even breed.

If you’re looking for an alligator, birds, or freshwater wildlife, your best bet is to head to Shark Valley, the Anhinga Trail (at Royal Palm) and Eco Pond. If you love birdwatching, Snake Bight (near Flamingo) and Chokoloskee Bay (Gulf Coast) are great spots to see water birds feeding.

The Everglades is a fragile habitat. From natural weather disasters to human development, the wetland has been stressed to be a healthy ecosystem. As humans, we are a guest in the Everglades; these animals and birds call this area home, so we need to respect them. They are wildlife, not pets, so it’s important to be respectful of all living creatures in the park, along with the Park itself. Bothering the animals could potentially stress them out or make them fearful or agitated. You do not want an animal angry with you, but also you do not want to upset an animal, because it could migrate or breed elsewhere (or not at all).

For this post, we wanted to share with you some wildlife viewing rules and tips while in Everglades National Park. Although some of these rules seem like no-brainers, it’s always good to refresh your memory. These rules come straight from the National Park Service.

  • Keep a good distance away from all wildlife.
  • Use binoculars or spotting scopes to get a berry view of any creature.
  • Never chase or corner an animal.
  • If an animal/bird seems agitated, back away, and even leave the area if it does not calm down.
  • Stay on the trails. You don’t want to disturb nests and dens.
  • Do not need wildlife.
  • If you find a sick or hurt animal or bird, leave it alone. If you’re concerned, fine a Park ranger or employee.
  • Do not bring your dogs onto the trails; they are not allowed.
  • Respect the environment if you do choose to go off the trails.

You can either view wildlife by foot or by airboat! Come do some wildlife viewing by airboat on a ride with Captain Mitch. Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours give you a glimpse of the Everglades like no other. To book an airboat ride, click here or call 800-368-0065.

Everglades Mammals Profile: The Least Shrew

least shrewWhat’s a shrew? A shrew is a small mouse-like mammal with a long, pointed snout and tiny eyes. The Everglades happens to be home to a few different families of shrews. For this article, we wanted to focus on sharing some facts about the North American Least Shrew.

  • This shrew is one of the smallest mammals, growing up to only 3 inches in length.
  • It has dense, grayish-brown (or reddish-brown) fur with a white stomach.
  • Its fur is lighter in the summer and darker in the winter.
  • It is a member of the Soricomorpha family.
  • Its ears are completely hidden by its fur.
  • This shrew has very small eyes.
  • Although mostly active at night, this shrew is active all day long, as well.
  • This shrew digs through loose soil and leaf litter to find food.
  • It hunts its prey by smell and touch.
  • This shrew feeds on caterpillars, beetle larvae, earthworms, centipedes, slugs, and sow bugs.
  • It will sometimes eat fruit or seeds.
  • They often share their food with other shrews, and can eat more than its body weight each day.
  • You can find this shrew in burrows or shallow runways under flat stones or logs.
  • The least shrew is a social creature.
  • This shrew’s breeding season is from March to November.
  • A shrew usually only lives for about a year.
  • Along with the Everglades, you can find the least shrew in Canada and Mexico and throughout much of the eastern United States.
  • Owls, foxes, raccoons, hawks, skunks, and snakes eat shrews.
  • To defend itself, the least shrew has a venomous saliva. It will aim for its enemy’s legs and try to cripple it.
  • This shrew is only considered dangerous in the state of Connecticut, due to coastal habitat development.

The Everglades is full of mammals for you to catch a glimpse! Come explore the Everglades on an airboat ride with Captain Mitch. Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours bring you around the Everglades in a way you can’t experience by foot. To book an airboat ride, click here or call 800-368-0065.

Everglades Animal Profile: Seminole Bat

seminole bateThe Everglades is full of creatures including the Seminole bat. This bat is considered to be a “medium” -sized bat weighing in at only 8 to 15 grams with an 11 to 13-inch wingspan. This bat is a deep mahogany in color that is frosted at the tips. Males and females are similar in color. This bat has fur from the tip of its tail to its arms and wrists and shoulders.

These bats are considered their own distinct species (Lasiurus seminolus) in the family Vespertilionidae.

In the springtime, the female Seminole bats give birth to usually one baby bat (pup), which means they mate in late fall or early winter. These baby bats stay close to their mother and begin to fly about 3 to 6 weeks after they’re born. After 2 to 3 months after birth, the baby bats can fly and search for food on their own.

Seminole bats are commonly found in pine trees, oak trees, hickory trees, and Spanish moss; they prefer to live in forests. They have also been spotted in lowland cypress stands, river swamps, islands and prairie edges. They can be spotted in the early evening when the temperatures are about 70 degrees. Not only is this bat found in the Everglades, it can be found in many regions of the United States, including: Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, and North Carolina.

These bats like to eat flies, beetles, bees, ants, wasps, moths, and leafhoppers. They eat primarily insects.

These bats do not hibernate or undergo large migrations.

These bats have been found by professional moss gatherers inside clumps of Spanish moss. It is believed that moss gathering may threaten these bats (because it’s their habitat), but there has been no studies done on this, as of yet.

If you’re a fan of bats, you’ll want to visit the Everglades closer to the evening to spot them. If you don’t like bats, there are plenty of other animals and birds for you to spot on a trip through the Everglades. Come explore the Everglades by airboat on a ride with Captain Mitch. Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours give you a glimpse of the Everglades like no other. To book an airboat ride, click here or call 800-368-0065.

 Photo courtesy: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu

The Pros of Riding in an Airboat

airboatCaptain Mitch has been zipping through the Everglades on an airboat since he was a little tike. He followed in his family’s footsteps and began his own airboat touring company more than 30 years ago. As most people know, airboats are pretty iconic in the Everglades. Airboats are great way to travel in the Park that allow guests access to areas that are not accessible by foot.

For this article, we wanted to share with you the many benefits/pros of airboats in the Everglades.

  • Airboats are considered safe for riders, wildlife, and plant life.
  • Airboats don’t redirect natural water currents or alter surface hydrology as much as regular boats.
  • Airboats, unlike regular boats, don’t cause soil and organic particles in the water to rise up and affect plants, fish, and other wildlife in the water.
  • An airboat can go anywhere, whether its shallow or deeper waters.
  • Airboats do not have any moving parts under the water, which makes it safer in the water for fish and plants nearby.
  • If there is a collision with plants or animals, an airboat will cause far less damage than an average boat because it does not have a propeller.
  • Airboats are stable, so you can move without risking the vessel tipping over.
  • On an airboat, you get a great view of your surroundings because of the raised seating.
  • Airboats go fast, which is great if you end up in an area you shouldn’t be in by mistake.
  • Airboats can easily handle dense vegetation, sandbanks, dam walls, floating grass islands, and rocks in the water.
  • An airboat is easy to launch. In fact, only one person is needed to get the trip started.
  • An airboat doesn’t need a slip or ramp to be launched into the water.

Come explore the Everglades safely in an airboat. It’s a truly unique experience. For many, it’s an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours give you a glimpse of the Everglades like no other. To book an airboat ride, click here or call 800-368-0065.

 

Everglades Species Profile: Eastern Indigo Snake

eastern indigo snakeAlthough the Burmese python is an invasive species threatening the Everglades, the wetland does have several native snakes that DO belong in this habitat. One such snake is the eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon corais couperi). This snake is federally threatened.

Eastern indigo snakes are large, black, non-venomous snakes found in the Everglades and other areas in the southeastern United States. It ranges in size from 60 to 84 inches. Sometimes, these snakes will have a little bit of red coloring in their chin, throat, and cheek areas. Like most snakes, they eat fish, frogs, toads, other snakes, lizards, turtles, turtle eggs, small alligators, birds, and small mammals. Young eastern indigo snakes opt to eat invertebrates.

In the Everglades, this species of snake is not found in large numbers. They like to be in flatwoods, pine rocklands, dry prairies, tropical hardwood hammocks, costal dunes, edges of freshwater marshes, agricultural fields, and habitats altered by humans.

The reason this snake is a threatened species is due to a population decline by people domestically and internationally collecting and selling this snake in the pet trade. Also, the snake has been dying off due to rattlesnake collectors who gassed gopher tortoise burrows to collect snakes; however, collecting has declined due to law enforcement.  Overall, habitat loss has become one of the snakes biggest threats. With more human development, the mortality rate of this snake increases, because people or domesticated animals are killing the snake, along with it being killed on roads. Pesticides, in areas that humans have developed, have been known to harm this snake, as well.

This snake is active during the day; they prefer wetter areas in the summer and drier areas in the winter.

When threatened, the eastern indigo snake have been known to flatten their heads, hiss, and rattle their tails. However, they are not known to be biters.

It is believed any additional threats to this snake will cause it to begin to disappear from certain areas. It’s predicted that there will be many isolated, small groups of the eastern indigo snake, which will make it hard for this snake to reproduce and grow into bigger populations.

Since the Everglades is preserved land and is continued to be a restored environment, the eastern indigo snake has a safer habitat to thrive in.

Want to try and spot the threatened snake on your next trip to the Everglades? You might be able to see one while aboard an airboat. Airboats brings you around areas of the Everglades that you cannot get to by foot. Join Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours for a fun time. To book a airboat ride, click here or call 800-368-0065.

 

Fishing for Spotted Sea Trout in the Everglades

sea troutLove to fish? The Everglades is a great spot to do it, since one-third of this place is covered by water! Throughout the park, there are many acres of shallow water flats, mangrove keys, and channels that make great spots to fish! However, fishing from the shore is limited. In the state of Florida, there are specific freshwater and saltwater licenses and regulations to follow. For important fishing information, click here.

One type of fish that is plentiful in the waters of the Everglades is the spotted sea trout. For this article, we wanted to share with you some basic information on this fish that makes the Everglades, amongst other places, its home. Also, it is a pretty tasty fish for you to bring home and cook up!

Sea trout, also known as Cynoscion nebulosus, can be found inshore and in deep waters up to 33 feet deep. They are dark gray or green on the top part of their bodies with blue/white/silver colorings underneath. They have black spots on their back, dorsal fin, and tail, but have no scales on their soft dorsal fin. Sea trout have one to two prominent canine teeth at the front of their upper jaw.

They feed on shrimp, crabs, mullet, pinfish, and baitfish. Their spawning season is between March and November. They swim in small schools and don’t stray too far from the estuaries that they were born in.

If you’re looking to catch a sea trout and you do, it’s important to return them to the water immediately if you don’t plan on keeping them to bring home. They are a delicate fish and can be easily harmed. The biggest sea trout ever caught in Florida was 17 pounds, 7 ounces and it was caught in Ft. Pierce. On average, most sea trout an angler will come across will weigh around 4 pounds but they can easily get up to 15 pounds in weight.

Like stated above, there are specific regulations when it comes to catching different species of fish in Florida’s state waters. With sea trout, you can catch them and keep them if they are between 15 and 20 inches in length; the daily bag limit of sea trout in Florida waters is 4 fish per angler. In Florida, spotted sea trout fishing is permitted throughout the entire year. Fishing for sea trout is legal, if they are caught with a hook and line or a cast net.

If fishing isn’t your thing, but you like being on a water, then an airboat ride may be the right kind of trip for you in the Everglades. Captain Mitch’s Airboat tours brings guests all over the Everglades for spectacular views as you make fun memories. To book an airboat tour, click here or call 800-368-0065.

Facts about Lubber Grasshoppers

grasshoppersWhen you think of wildlife in the Everglades, what comes to mind? Alligators? Panthers? Majestic birds? How about insects? Well, they should, because there’s thousands of them flying and crawling around this ecosystem. One such insect that calls the Everglades home is the lubber grasshopper.

Lubber grasshoppers are one of the largest grasshoppers, so they can be easy to spot while walking on a trail in the Everglades. They are also slow moving, which also makes it easy for you to catch a glimpse of them. They can grow up to four inches in size.

This type of grasshopper is brightly colored and patterned. They are bright orange, yellow, and red. They have wings, but they are flightless. They can, however, jump short distances. Because of their bright colors, they cannot camouflage themselves well into the green scenery of the Everglades, but their bright colors can be used as a warning to animals not to eat them because of toxicity. In fact, many small mammals and birds can and have become sick from ingesting this grasshopper and learn to not try and taste it again. Because they are toxic, this grasshopper really has no need to move fast.

If this grasshopper feels threatened or is picked up, it will make a loud hissing noise and secrete a foul-smelling foaming spray to irritate its predator.

Lubber grasshoppers eat broadleaf plants, and are known to be a garden pest.They can be found in grasslands or oak woods. They eat leaves of citrus plants, vegetables and ornamental plants. They are known to be a problem when they swarm residential areas and destroy (by eating) plants in gardens. Unfortunately, these grasshoppers aren’t really affected by most insecticides, so the best ways to get rid of them is to hand pick them off plants, stamp on them, or drown them in soapy water.

There are different types of lubbers including: Eastern lubbers, horse lubbers, flightless plain lubbers, and southeastern lubbers. Each type has different jumping abilities and vary a bit in coloring and size.

During breeding season, lubbers lay around 25 to 50 eggs. These eggs are underground during the winter and hatch between March and June. After they hatch, the young grasshoppers will molt their exoskeletons five times every 2 weeks before becoming an adult.

Want to spot this creature on a ride through the Everglades? Explore regions of the Everglades you haven’t seen before on a ride with Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours. Click here or call 800-368-0065 to book a trip today.

 

Everglades Bird Spotlight: the Limpkin

everglades airboat tourAt certain times of the year, the Everglades can look like a scene out of Alfred Hitchock’s The Birds. Thousands of birds flock down to this warm climate to spend the winter and breed. For this article, we wanted to spotlight one species of bird that can be found in the Everglades: the Limpkin. This bird can actually be found in the Everglades year-round.

Limpkins are notoriously known to be noisy. In fact, you may have a better chance of hearing a limpkin than seeing one. Limpkins begin to make sounds at dusk and continue all through the night until dawn. Their cries aren’t sweet, usually they are loud screams, which are unmistakable.

This bird is related to rails and cranes. It’s a brown bird with white spots and streaks along its body. They have long necks, legs, and bills. Their long bills help them easily remove apple snails from their shells; apple snails are the main food source of the limpkin. Their bills, when closed, have a gap at the end that acts like tweezers. You can usually find the limpkin around areas where apple snails are abundant, but if apple snails are not easily found, the limpkin will eat other types of snails, freshwater mussels, insects, frogs, crustaceans, lizards, and worms.

You can find limpkins mainly around shallow bodies of water; they are a slow-moving bird with a high-stepping gait. The “limp” in limpkin comes from this gait that often gives off the appearance that the bird is limping even though it is not.

Limpkins stick with their own kind and do not mix in with other wading birds.

While nesting in the Everglades or other parts of Florida, they build their nests on top of floating vegetation, as well as high tree limbs. They can lay 3 to 8 eggs at a time. Florida is actually as far north as this bird goes. Limpkins can be found throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

Limpkins range from 25-28 inches in height with a wingspan of 39 to 42 inches in width.

Limpkins are not endangered or under watch, but at one point, their numbers were dwindling in Florida due to human development.

Want to have the chance to see (but most likely hear) this bird up close? Come out on an airboat tour to glide around the limpkin’s habitat. Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours are a great way to explore all the ins and outs of this wetland. To book an airboat tour, click here or call 800-368-0065.

Facts About the Everglades

airboat tours evergladesHow much do you know about the Everglades? Even though this area is a National Park, the average person may not know a lot of details about this wetland, especially if they do not live near it. In the national news, people are hearing about the Everglades restoration, but may not know a whole lot about the Park itself and its importance to the ecosystem of the area. The Everglades is a truly mystical place, so we wanted to share with you some fun, interesting, and maybe even little-known facts, about it.

  • The Everglades is a slow-moving river.
  • Before mankind moved into southern Florida, the Everglades was a much bigger place. In fact, it was 50 percent bigger, but construction and drainage has caused the Everglades to shrink in size. It used to be around 8 million acres.
  • It is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist.
  • Around 7-8 million Florida residents get their water from the Everglades.
  • It is the largest continuous sawgrass prairie in North America.
  • It is a World Heritage, a Biosphere Reserve, and a Wetland of International Significance.
  • 13 endangered species and 10 threatened species live in the Everglades.
  • It is home to the Western hemisphere’s largest mangrove ecosystem.
  • Native Americans, who lived around the Everglades referred to it as Pahayokee, which translates to “grassy waters.”
  • It is the largest subtropical wetland ecosystem in North America.
  • The most dominant life form in the Everglades is the periphyton, an algae/microbe that floats on the surface of the water.
  • The first people to inhabit the Everglades were the Calusa Indians around 1000 B.C.
  • Although iconic now, airboats weren’t common in the Everglades until the 1950s.
  • There are no underground springs in the Everglades, but the Floridian Aquifer (reservoir) lies 1,000 feet below.
  • 36 protected species live in the Everglades.

It’s certainly interesting to read fun facts about the Everglades, but it’s even more amazing to experience this River of Grass in person. There’s no place like it in the world! An airboat tour through the Park is a great way to take in all the sights, smells, and sounds. To book an airboat trip with Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours, click here or call 800-368-0065.

 

Chameleons Are Invading the Everglades

chameleonsThe Burmese python is notorious for being an invasive species slithering all over the Everglades, but there are many other invasive species living and breeding in the wetlands.  In fact, there are around 139 species of reptiles and amphibians living in Florida, not to mention all the invasive mammals and plants! According to researchers at the University of Florida, there are more invasive species of reptiles and amphibians living in the wild in Florida than anywhere else in the world. Thanks to humans releasing their pets into the wild, there are now six different chameleon species in the wild in Florida. Chameleons are not native to Florida; they are an invasive reptile that hail from Africa, Madagascar, and parts of Asia and Europe.

Unlike the Burmese python, chameleons aren’t as dangerous of a creature and are not having a drastic negative impact on the ecosystem of Florida or the Everglades; they are not a top priority for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. However, they do prey on insects, small frogs, lizards, small mammals and birds. They are known to eat a lot of pests like stinkbugs, caterpillars, geckos and weevils, but scientists are afraid they will begin to eat more native species.

Chameleons, like the Oustalet chameleon, are known to have a high reproductive rate and can thrive in many different environments, including forests and agricultural land. This particular kind of chameleon can grow up to 24 inches long; the male Oustalets are a tan color with brown and black stripes while the females are green with white dotes. Another chameleon found in Florida is the veiled chameleon; this chameleon is native to the Arabian Peninsula. They range in size from 1 to 2 feet; the males are green with bands of yellow with blue, orange, or black and the females are green with white, orange or yellow spots.

These breeds, along with the other breeds of chameleons, have been found in Miami-Dade, Broward, Lee, Collier counties, as well as other areas of Florida.

Just like with the pythons, there are groups of people that head out into the Florida wilderness to hunt for these chameleons. These hunters are known as “herpers” who catch invasive chameleons in rural and residential areas, and will adopt or sell them. They head out at night and shine flashlights into trees to spot these reptiles. It’s easier to find chameleons at night; since they can change their skin color, they aren’t so easy to find during daylight hours.

These herpers gather in online forums to share popular hiding spots for chameleons and tips on how to find and catch them. “Ranchers” are also out there; ranchers breed and raise the chameleons they find to sell them; this is considered to be a controversial activity. The panther chameleon, which is roaming in rural spots of Florida, can sell for up to $1,000.

All of the species of chameleons in Florida where brought to the United States in the pet trade. Because they are not native, it is OK to take them out of the trees and flora in Florida; they are not protected here. However, if someone catches one, he or she cannot put it back, since it’s illegal to release them into the wild.

If you spot one in the Everglades or other area of Florida, take a photo, write down the location and report your siting to IveGot1.org or download the IveGot1 app.

Interested in spending some time in the Everglades among all the varied species? A great and safe way to explore is on an airboat tour. You’ll see an array of sights and sounds right from the airboat. To book an airboat ride, contact Captain Mitch’s Airboat Tours at 800-368-0065 or click here.