Florida Wild Life and Endangered
Species
The Florida Manatee
or sea cow, a subspecies
of the West Indian manatee, is a large, herbivorous,
 aquatic
mammal that can be found in
the shallow coastal waters, rivers, and springs
of Florida and adjoining states. These gentle creatures
are endangered throughout their range. High annual
mortality, primarily associated with human activity,
as well as a low reproductive rate and loss of habitat
continue to keep the number of manatees low and
threaten the species' future.
In response to an increased awareness of the plight
of the manatee, governmental agencies, universities,
private conservation groups, and concerned corporations
have joined together to promote research and identify
the actions needed to encourage the recovery of
manatee populations. This work has increased our
knowledge of this species as well as raised many
questions that remain unanswered.
Sea Turtles
Florida is an important place
for the endangered
and threatened sea turtles of the world. Sea turtles
nest on our beaches, forage for food in our estuaries,
and all too often wash-up dead on our shoreline.
Five species of
sea turtles are found in Florida's waters and
nest on Florida's beaches. All sea turtles found
in Florida are protected under state statutes.
Illegal harvesting, habitat encroachment and pollution
are only some of the things sea turtles must fight
against to stay alive.
The Northern Right Whale,
Eubalaena glacialis, is
the most endangered of the world's large whales.
Efforts have been heightened to prevent
human-caused mortality in this species, where
even one death per year has a significant impact
on the population estimated to number less than
350 individuals. The National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) designated Florida and Georgia
coastal waters as critical habitat for the right
whale in 1994. This region is the only known calving
ground of the northern right whale. Efforts to
protect right whales in the Florida/Georgia critical
habitat have resulted in the formation of the
Southeastern U.S. Implementation Team for the
Recovery of the Northern Right Whale, a multi-agency/citizens
advisory group. The Team makes management and
research recommendations and assist in implementing
the Recovery Plan. Since 1987 FMRI staff
have conducted numerous aerial surveys to monitor
seasonal presence of right whales, to determine
the number of calves born, and to mitigate ship/whale
collisions.
For specific information on Orlando's natural
resources, check out undiscovered
Orlando.
|
