Searching for Elusive Wildlife in Pensacola Bay
Recently I watched a documentary on TV entitled The Loneliest Whale; the search for 52. The title grabbed my attention and so, I checked it out. Seems a decade or so ago the U.S. Navy was doing SONAR work in the Pacific between Washington and Alaska and...
Six Rivers EDRR Invasive Species of the Month – Argentine Black and White Tegu
EDRR Invasive Species Black and White Argentine Tegu (Salvator merianae) Define Invasive Species: must have all of the following – Is non-native to the area, in our case northwest Florida Introduced by humans, whether intentional or accidental Causing either an...
Batfish of the Florida Panhandle
This is another one of those fish in this series that is not often seen but when you do see one you will ask “what is that?” – So, we will answer the question by including it here. Like the frogfish we have already written about, batfish are described by Hoese...
The Coachwhip Snake
By Dr. Steve A. Johnson, Department of Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, University of Florida As I was pondered writing about snakes for Panhandle Outdoors, an email notification appeared on my computer screen: “Snake in Pensacola Bay”. As a State Extension...
A Sea of Christmas Lights
Most people would agree that this is one of the best times of the year. Christmas brings great music, great cooking, great family gatherings, and… great lights. The lighting of Christmas is one of the more beautiful parts of these celebrations and as I thought about...
Frogfish of the Florida Panhandle
Hoese and Moore1 describes members of the frogfish family as “grotesque”. Well… maybe. I am not sure I would call them grotesque, but they are sort of gelatinous blobs with reduced or missing scales. They feel sort of “mushy”. They have broad shaped fins and a...
Good Teachers
There is an oft quoted proverb “those who can't do, teach.” It is meant to be humorous, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. Teachers of all kinds have enormous impacts on our lives. For graduates of the Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) there is a...
Clingfish of the Florida Panhandle
This series on vertebrates of the Florida panhandle is to enhance your education of the different animals that call this place home. This is the only reason to include clingfish to this list… to enhance your education. There are about 500 species of fishes in...
Six Rivers Dirty Dozen Invasive Species of the Month – Red Imported Fire Ant
Six Rivers “Dirty Dozen” Invasive Species Red Fire Ant (Solenopis invicta) Define Invasive Species: must have all of the following – Is non-native to the area, in our case northwest Florida Introduced by humans, whether intentional or accidental Causing either...
Six Rivers EDRR Invasive Species of the Month – Apple Snails
EDRR Invasive Species Apple Snails (Pomace sp.) Define Invasive Species: must have all of the following – Is non-native to the area, in our case northwest Florida Introduced by humans, whether intentional or accidental Causing either an environmental or...