Hawksbill – IUCN Conservation Status: Critically Endangered Hawksbills are smaller turtles than similarly looking green turtles This small hawksbill turtle is drifting with the current. Adult hawksbills will grow to about three feet long and weigh around 180 pounds. This little turtle was less than a foot long. We were able to snorkel with it for a short […]
Florida Softshell Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern They get this name from their cartilaginous carapace This is Virgil the Turtle. Virgil is a Florida softshell turtle that lives near Williston, Florida. Williston is a small town about half an hour south of Gainesville. North Central Florida is known for its fresh water springs, caverns, and caves. Virgil […]
Green Sea Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered Green sea turtles are a common sighting in the Florida Keys Green turtles are a common sighting in the Florida Keys. They appear similar to a hawksbill turtle, however there are some identifying features we can look for. The green sea turtle bill is not beak-like. Hawksbills have a […]
Green Sea Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered The body of the green sea turtle adapts to their herbivorous adulthood The green sea turtle pictured here is in a most precarious looking position. Its neck is extended forward over a bed of coral rock, and its head is wedged between the iron ore below the […]
Green Sea Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered The legs of the green sea turtle are well-adapted for swimming When I think of a drawing of a sea turtle, normally people will draw it to look just like this. That’s why I love this photo. With its four arms fully extended, the green sea turtle […]
Green Sea Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered They can spend up to seven hours without taking a breath What is the green sea turtle doing laying on the sea floor for minutes on end? Is it hurt? Is it sick? Did it get injured? These are all questions that might pass through your mind […]
Green Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Endangered Turtles can hold their breath for two hours before surfacing. Even if this photo was in color, you would not use the color of the shell to determine that this is a “green turtle”. The name “green turtle” actually comes from their green fatty tissue. There are other ways to […]
Hawksbill Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Critically Endangered Hawksbills only grow to about three feet in length. They will grow to 180 pounds on average. This month our gallery theme is “Turtles”! Ben and I are fortunate to have had many turtle encounters over the years. They are magical moments. When I was 13, I went snorkeling for the […]
Gopher Tortoise – IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable This photo of a checkered melon beetle was taken while hiking along a creek bed near Croton Springs within the park. This gopher tortoise is listed as Threatened in Florida. The tortoise and the burrows they build are protected by law. Before land development or land clearing, property owners must […]
Florida Box Turtle – IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable The Florida box turtle is only found in southeastern Georgia and Florida I ran when I first saw this Florida box turtle. I didn’t run away from it; instead, I ran towards it. It was teetering on a ledge about three feet off the ground over a […]