Animal Science - Blog Posts
This juvenile red tailed hawk was brought to the SNC a few weeks ago after being found injured on a golf course. On Sep. 27 the hawk was successfully released back into the wild!
Red tailed hawks are native to Florida and, like all hawks, considered a bird of prey. Their large talons and sharp beaks are perfect for ripping and tearing their prey. It also makes them difficult patients. Luckily, our experienced rehabber was able to get the hawk all patched up and back into the wild in record time!
The Sawgrass Nature Center is home to an aviary of recovering and permanent winged residents. This blue jay is one of the many that are to be soon as you walk through the surrounding enclosure.
This Wildlife Wednesday we are featuring our resident Red Rat Snake. This guy in particular has a permanent stay at the Nature Center due to a degenerative nerve disease that causes him to twitch.
Rat Snakes are non-venomous, constrictor snakes. They also happen to be very skilled climbers, to the point where they have been known to scale brick walls! This helps them catch prey like lizards, small mammals, and hatchlings.
Rat Snakes are popular in the pet trade and have been bred in many different colors and patterns.
It is Turtle Tuesday at the SNC with our Loggerhead Musk Turtle, Molly. Molly is a resident freshwater turtle that is used for many of our educational programs.
Loggerhead Musk Turtles (Sternotherus minor) are mostly carnivorous, but have also been known to munch on plants. Their jaws are strong enough to crack the shells of small snails, crayfish, insects, and mollusks.
They are found throughout the Southeast United States in a variety of clear, freshwater wetland areas.
Fun Fact: When threatened, musk turtles will release a foul smelling musk and bite with their powerful jaws.
This African Spur Thigh Tortoise is named Bubba and he is a permanent resident at the Sawgrass Nature Center. He was previously kept as a pet, but his owners did not realize that he would get this large. And since he is an exotic species to Florida, he is non-releasable.
The African Spur-Thigh is a native species of tortoise to Northern Africa, specifically along the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. They dig burrows in the ground to spend the hottest parts of the day in. This is known as aestivation.
Fun fact: The African Spur Thigh Tortoise is the third largest tortoise in the world. Surpassed only by the Galapagos Tortoise and the Aldabra Giant Tortoise.
Today was a rainy day in South Florida. Some of our resident animals were particularly enjoying this weather, including our gator Wally. Wally is a female American Alligator. Most people think of Alligators as green in color, but most have a darker coloring that enables them to camouflage better in dark, swampy water.
This is one of our resident parrots, Fred. Fred and his partner in crime, Alice, were surrendered upon the death of their owner to the Sawgrass Nature Center. In captivity, this particular species of parrot can live up to 80 years.
The Sawgrass Nature Center has the chance to win up to $20k in grants if we can raise just $3,000 in donations. The goal for this grant is to provide under served communities with career-building mentorship programs and educational resources for free. Please help us reach our goal by sharing or donating. Learn more about the mission here: https://acommunitythrives.mightycause.com/story/Elzntf
This injured Burrowing Owl was brought to the nature center by a concerned Broward County resident to be rehabilitated. We were able to successfully able to release it back into the wild as good as new!
This Burrowing Owl had an interesting feature that made it a unique visitor at our hospital. Most Burrowing Owls have bright yellow eyes. This one in particular possessed a recessive gene that gave it brown eyes instead.
Learn about Florida Box Turtles and rehabilitation of wildlife at the Sawgrass Nature Center!
Learn more about exotic and non-native animals from the Sawgrass Nature Center!
Great Horned Owls are native to the Americas, with a preference for deciduous, coniferous, forest, and desert habitats. They are carnivores with a diet that includes small mammals, reptiles, and even other owls!
Fun fact: When clenched, a Great Horned Owl’s strong talons require a force of 28 pounds to open.
Our resident owl is with us due to a permanent wing injury that prohibits them from ever flying properly again.
Here’s Wally, our resident American Alligator. Alligators are reptiles, which means they are cold blooded. Cold blooded animals, or ectotherms, rely on the environment to control their internal body temperatures. Unlike humans, alligators don’t have bodily functions to warm themselves up when they are cold.
In order to get warm, reptiles like to sunbathe, just like Wally is doing in this photo. Any Floridian who has seen a gator outside of the water, has probably been witness to the gator trying to warm themselves up too.
Our resident turkey vulture is a little cheeky. Notice how he poops whenever he sees our caretakers. It’s almost like he knows we’re coming to clean up the place!
Our resident adult gator, Wally, shows off her top row of teeth with a curvy smile. American Alligators are a common sight for Floridians. Whether they’re borrowing our pools, sharing our golf courses, or sunbathing at our favorite parks, alligators are just a normal part of Florida living. Remember the best thing to do when encountering a gator in the wild is to leave it alone and put a wide amount of space between you and it. If you encounter a large, threatening alligator, contact FWC’s gator hotline (866-392-4286).
Our resident Green Heron, named Goblin, is a little protective. He likes to patrol his territory any time our rehabbers get close. Like all herons, the Green Heron has a long neck. What’s unique about these guys is that they like to keep them pulled close to their chest unless they are hunting, or feel threatened.
Heron are considered aquatic birds. That means they have special adaptations for hunting in and living near freshwater, like the Everglades. Their long necks and pointed beaks make them great fishers.
This Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell turtle is native to fresh waters of the Florida panhandle. Notice his distinctive snout and the “pancake” pattern on his leathery carapace.
This turtle is mainly carnivorous, feeding on crayfish and other small aquatic life, and occasionally plants. What he lacks in bony defense, he makes up for in speed. His lighter shell allows him to more quickly in muddy water as well as on land.
Their very long necks and pointed snout are adapted for reaching fresh air without having to move from their hiding space.
Pancake, our resident softshell turtle, came to us as a surrendered pet.
This cute craft is something we do every Summer with our campers. Getting them outside to find their perfect rock is only part of the fun. We let them have creative freedom over their designs, so they can paint their favorite little critter at the SNC. The results are cute paper weights like this!
Turtles lay their eggs on land before leaving them to hatch on their own. The babies are instinctually drawn towards water. These guys hatched on SNC grounds quite a bit away from the nearest freshwater habitat, so we gathered them up and helped them on their way. This increased their chances of survival as they didn't have to fend off hungry birds during the long walk to safety.
Raccoons like the pool to cool off, but they also use it to wash their hands and food.
Our resident red rat snake has been with us for quite a few years now. He was brought to the SNC because he has a chronic neurological disease that prevents him from surviving on his own in the wild. The typical life span of red rat snakes in the wild is six to eight years. However, because this guy is getting a high grade diet and medical care, his lifespan is expected to be extended.