The Indian River Lagoon is located on Florida’s east coast. It is a shallow water estuary that has one of the most diverse ecosystems in North America. It stretches across 40 percent of Florida’s east coast, spanning 156 miles that contain more than 600 species of fish and more than 300 kinds of birds. It [...]
There were about 300 manatee deaths in Southwest Florida in 2013 due to red tide. The toxins from red tides affect them when they breathe them in or ingest them while munching on sea grass. Through extensive response efforts, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation and partners rescued 16 manatees suffering from the effects of [...]
The South Florida Aquarium hosted a birthday party this month for Snooty, the oldest manatee in captivity. He was brought to Manatee County in 1949 to Bradenton’s DeSoto celebration. He is 9-foot, 8-inches and weighs 1,205 pounds and has greeted more than 2 million visitors. The Aquarium believes Snooty is the oldest manatee to live [...]
Despite the relatively low concentration of red tide, some sea creatures are still being taken to rehabilitation clinics in Collier and Lee counties. Since December, Sanibel’s Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, has treated a variety of seabirds including 30 cormorants, 12 pelicans and a herring gull that was given a shake with a special [...]
