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MEET THE NATIVES

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.

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 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 fom as high as 50 feet. Once a fish is captued, 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 tutles 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.

Get Up Close

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.

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

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.

to Uplands

A PRIMER ON NATURAL LANDSCAPES IN COLLIER COUNTY

To newcomers, Southwest Florida’s topography might seem flat and unchanging, but don’t let its subtleties fool you. Changes in elevation coupled with rainfall create distinct habitats that are home to a web of life for native wildlife, birds, insects, plants and trees, fish, and reptiles. You’re probably familiar with the beaches, so here’s a primer on the other natural habitats you will encounter as you explore these lands.

BY CONSERVANCY OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

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Cypress Swamps

These swamps experience seasonal 3changes in water levels that fluctuate during wet and dry months. Elevations determine hydroperiods—how long soils are saturated or flooded. Many species have adapted to live in this variable habitat, such as the predominant cypress tree. Their knees (above-ground extensions of their roots) and their buttresses (wide, fluted bases) provide stability and increase surface area for gas exchange. Cypress trees are deciduous conifers; they lose all their needles in the fall and winter.

DENNIS GOODMAN

Pine Uplands 1

This habitat is high in elevation, at least for this region. A few inches in elevation makes a big difference for pine forests—high and dry areas dominated by slash pine. The trees get their name from early settlers who “slashed” the bark of the pines and collected the sap to make turpentine and rosins.

Hardwood Hammocks

Tropical hardwood hammocks are found along both coasts of South Florida, and throughout the Everglades and Florida Keys. Hammocks are also called “tree islands” because they rise from wet, low-lying areas. Oaks, sweetgum, hickories—more than 120 species of tropical plants—provide cool and shady refuge for deer and other wildlife during hot summer months.

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