This Ultra-black Fish Has Evolved To Be Practically Invisible In The Darkest Depths Of The Ocean, And

Raccoons are a familiar sight for many environments because they eat just about anything. The raccoon’s scientific name, Procyon lotor translates to “before-dog washer.” 

Raccoons are one of the many wild animals the SNC takes in regularly. If you find abandoned baby raccoons in the wild, please contact your local nature center or wildlife rehabber. We do not encourage keeping them as there is a lot that can go wrong in early development and they do NOT make good pets.

Raccoons like the pool to cool off, but they also use it to wash their hands and food. 

We hope your Thanksgiving was as great as Nelly’s, our resident Turkey Vulture!

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.

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. 

Shoutout to our volunteers who managed to catch some great pics of a few of the SNC’s permanent residents. Featured is Cory the Red Rat Snake, Leonidas the Bearded Dragon, and one of the blue jays in our aviary. 

The reptiles featured here are used as educational ambassadors for their species. That means they’re used by professionals to teach visitors about their ecological roles and niche in the environment and why it is so important to protect their species. Leonidas the Bearded Dragon is used in particular as an example of an exotic species. Both reptiles featured here were surrendered pets that the previous owner could no longer care for. Used to a domesticated life rather than hunting for and sheltering themselves, these animals would not survive in the wild on their own. 

Peepers says hello to Fall

There is a lot of slime in nature and so many animals that use slime in different ways. One of my favorite activities to do with students when learning about these animals is to make Oobleck! It is an easy, fun craft that gets kids immersed into the experience of using slime in their own way. It gives them a hands-on example of how this sticky substance can be useful in nature.

Learn more here: https://sawgrassnaturecenter.org/2021/02/16/slime/

A Long Tailed Skipper visited our Fire Bush

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.