Six of Florida’s Endangered
and Threatened Species
SWAMPS
Roy Beckford – Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent
All species great and small
Share the same world
• Live in communities called ecosystems.
• Species within eco-systems share
similar resources.
• Resources are those things such as
air, food, water and space.
• When one species consume or
misuse too much of the available
resources, others suffer or die.
Humans…
• Are the greatest users
of Florida’s resources
• Clear land, build roads,
homes, communities,
towns and cities
• Plant trees and
landscapes that native
animals do not like
Animals…
• Are forced to move
away to search for food
• Compete among
themselves as food
sources become lower
• Live on smaller and
smaller portions of land
as towns grow
• Die from lack of
adequate food and
some die as they cross
roads to get from one
place to another
(SWAMPS)
The 6 major endangered
animals of Florida
•
•
•
•
•
•
Southern Bald Eagle
Wood Stork
American Crocodile
Manatee
Panther
Sea Turtle
Southern Bald Eagle
In 1782, the U.S. Congress selected the bald eagle
as our national symbol to represent strength,
conquest and freedom.
Southern Bald Eagle
• A bird of prey
• Live up to be forty years
old
• Young bald eagle is
spotted brown and white.
• White head and tail is
created when it is four to
six years old
Southern Bald Eagle
• The eagles migrate for food
during the winter season.
• The beak has a hook at the
tip of it, and is sharp enough
to slice tough skin.
• It eats fish but will also eat
small mammals, dead deer,
dead rabbits, other animals
in fields and woods, small
live birds
Southern Bald Eagle
• The American bald eagle mates
like most other animals. Married
eagles will remain together until
one dies.
• The American bald eagle lays one
to three eggs but usually two. The
eggs hatch between late May and
early June. The eggs are
incubated for thirty-four or thirtyfive days.
Wood Stork
• The only stork in
America
• The widespread loss
of wetlands over the
past century has
greatly reduced the
number of these
birds.
Wood Stork
• The largest wading birds
that breed in North
America
• They nest 60 feet off the
ground in cypress trees
• Only three other species
in the world are similar to
wood storks; two live in
Southeast Asia and one
in Africa.
Wood Stork
• Adults raise their young
in treetop nest 3 to 4
feet wide.
• Their eggs are bigger
than tennis balls.
• Baby wood storks have
white feathers all over
their heads
Wood Stork
• Wood storks will fly
as many as 50 miles
to search for food.
• They wander around
in shallow water with
their mouths open
and catch whatever
they come across.
American Crocodile
American Alligator
American Crocodile
• Long, slender snouts,
which distinguish them
from their cousin the
alligator.
• Unlike the alligator, the
fourth tooth on the bottom
jaw of the American
crocodile is visible when
its mouth is closed.
• Adult crocodiles are 7 to
15 feet long and weigh
150 to 450 pounds.
American Crocodile
• Less aggressive than
the infamous Nile and
Australian crocodiles
• American crocodiles
are rarely seen by
people.
• They eat a variety of
crabs, fish, waterfowl,
and small mammals.
Manatee
• The Florida manatee is
a large mammal whose
closest relative is the
elephant!
• Please do not discard
fishing line, hooks, or
any other litter into the
water. Manatees may
ingest or become
entangled in the debris
and become injured or
even die.
Manatee
Manatee
• “That monster is about eight feet long, his skin is
brown and tawny, without any scales, all his motions
are like those of men, the eyes of a proportionate
size, a little mouth, a large and flat nose, very white
teeth, black hair, the chin covered with a mossy
beard, a sort of whiskers under the nose, the ears
like those of men. In a word, he is a well shaped
man.
• Certified true by Captain Oliver Morin and John
Martin, pilot, and by the whole crew, consisting of
two-and-thirty men.”
• The Gazette of Amsterdam Oct. 12, 1725, where it is
said it was seen in the ocean in August of the same
year.
Manatee
• http://www.savethemanatee.org/
Panther
• A long time ago
panthers could be found
all over the eastern
United States.
• They were hunted and
killed because people
thought these shy cats
were dangerous.
• Now only 30 to 50
panthers can be found
in south Florida.
Panther
• Adult male panthers
weigh up to 150 pounds
and can measure almost
7 feet long from the nose
to the tip of the tail.
• A male panther's home
range is very large and
averages 275 square
miles
Panther
• A typical panther den
site is located in a saw
palmetto thicket taller
than 6 feet.
• These palmettos create
a canopy that shelters
the kittens from rain
and exposure to the
sun.
• Mother panthers care
for their kittens alone
for about 1 to 1 1/2
years.
Panther
• Help protect Florida
panthers by obeying
road signs which tell
where panthers cross
in search of food and
shelter
Sea Turtle
• All 5 species of Florida
sea turtles are in
danger of extinction.
• Demand for sea turtle
meat, eggs, and other
by-products, as well as
a loss of habitat,
commercial fishing, and
pollution have
contributed to their
decline.
Sea Turtles
• In Florida, sea turtles
come ashore to nest
beginning in May and
hatching continues until
late October.
• A female can lay
several nests during
one season and only
nests every two or
three years.
Sea Turtles
• After incubating for two months, the
hatchlings break out of their shells
• They wait until the sand
temperature cools to emerge.
Therefore most emerge after dark.
• Once out of the nest, the turtles
scramble to the water and swim
offshore where they will live for
several years in seaweed beds
• As the turtles grow older they move
into coastal waters.
Sea Turtles
• If you encounter a nesting sea turtle on
the beach stay clear. Do not shine lights
or take flash photographs.
• When frightened the nesting turtle will
return to the water where she will drop her
eggs.
• If you find an injured or dead turtle, call
the Florida Marine Patrol at 1-800-DIALFMP.
How can you help?
• Tell others about
SWAMPS
• Think about these
animals as you move
around the towns,
cities and counties of
Florida
• Create an endangered
animals poster for
your school