American Alligator Scientific name Alligator mississippienesis Adult size: More than 11 feet Weight: Up to nearly half a ton Lifespan: 50 years Habitat: Slow-moving freshwater rivers, swamps, marshes, and lakes Diet: Fish, snails, and other invertebrates, as well as birds, frogs, and mammals that come to the water’s edge Status: Threatened Cool factor: As an alligator’s teeth are worn down, they are replaced. An alligator can go through 3,000 teeth in a lifetime.
habitats Diet: Small fish that for schools near the surface of the water Status: Included in Florida’s Imperiled Species Management Plan Cool factor: A foraging pelican dives headfirst f om as high as 50 feet. Once a fish is captu ed, the pelican tips its head upward or to the side to drain the water from its bill pouch.
River Otter Scientific name Lontra canadensis Adult size: 3 to 5 feet Weight: 11 to 31 pounds Lifespan: 10 years Habitat: Rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, and swamps Diet: Fish, crayfish, and tu tles Status: Native Cool factor: Otters can swim 8 miles per hour and dive to depths of 36 feet. They are mostly nocturnal and live in waterside burrows.
Gopher Tortoise Scientific name Gopherus polyphemus Adult size: Up to 15 inches Weight: 8 to 15 pounds Lifespan: 40 to 60 years Habitat: Well-drained, sandy soils found in habitats such as longleaf pine sandhills, oak hammocks, scrub, pine flat oods, dry prairies, and coastal dunes Diet: Low-growing plants, such as wiregrass, broadleaf grasses, gopher apple, and legumes Status: Threatened Cool factor: They spend up to 80 percent of their time in burrows that average 15 feet long and more than 6 feet deep. These burrows offer shelter for more than 350 other species.
Be a good
Neighbor WE ALL PLAY A PART IN MAKING SURE THESE NATIVES REMAIN HAPPY AND HEALTHY. WHETHER YOU ARE A LONG-TIME RESIDENT OR FIRST-TIME VISITOR, HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR. LEAVE NOTHING BUT FOOTPRINTS. A major cause of harm to wildlife is plastic pollution. Bottle caps, ribbons, balloons, and monofilament fishi line kill or maim birds, sea turtles, and marine mammals. (More than 700 pelicans die each year in Florida from entanglement in fishing gea .) Use less plastic and clean up litter.
OBSERVE SAFE SPEEDS on the roads
Brown Pelican Scientific name Pelecanus occidentalis Adult size: 4 feet, with a 7-foot wingspan Weight: 11 pounds Lifespan: 10 to 25 years Habitat: Estuaries and coastal marine
Get Up Close
and on the water to avoid collisions with wildlife.
DON’T FEED WILDLIFE. This poses a threat to humans, domestic animals, and the wildlife being fed. Feeding pelicans is prohibited by law.
TAKE NOTHING BUT PICTURES. Florida has strict laws that prohibit the capturing, harming, or harassment of Florida’s native species, including live shells, sea stars, urchins, and sand dollars.
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida is a nonprofit environmental protection organization established 58 years ago. Learn about Southwest Florida’s ecosystems, plants, and wildlife, rent kayaks, visit the von Arx Wildlife Hospital, or take a boat tour. The Susan and William Dalton Discovery Center recently underwent a $4.5 million renovation and expansion. Learn more at conservancy.org.
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