The distinctive white-eye fish

The white-eye fish (Oxyzygonectes dovii) has distinctive white eyes which are fluorescent in appearance. They tend to swim just below the water surface in open estuary habitat. This combination of features make them very easy to spot, despite their small size. I recently witnessed this firsthand. While sitting on a balcony overlooking an estuary in […]

Water birds in close proximity to alligators

In Florida, I frequently see water birds in close proximity to alligators. We can define ‘close proximity’ as less than one alligator body length away. I find this curious, as alligators do occasionally eat birds. So why aren’t birds more wary of alligators? I know I am not the only one who finds this situation […]

World Animal Coins

What coins depict – people, animals, plants, events, places, achievements, symbols – tell the story of civilizations and what they value. The world’s oldest known coin was produced in the kingdom of Lydia (modern day Turkey) over 2,500 years ago. It depicts a lion. Coins depicting animals have been a common theme in subsequent centuries, […]

Manatees in Florida Springs

Florida is the spring capital of the world. The state contains 700 natural springs. 33 of these are first-magnitude springs, or those that discharge at least 100 cubic feet per second (which amounts to at least 64.6 million gallons of water daily). This is more first-magnitude springs than any other state in the United States, […]

Blue-tailed Lizards

Recently, while looking through some of my old wildlife photos I came upon one of a blue-tailed lizard that I photographed in Mozambique in 2010. What really struck me is how similar this lizard, the Blue-tailed sandveld lizard, looks to a species I recently photographed in Maryland and Florida, the American five-lined skink. They both […]

The fascinating Florida Softshell Turtle

Softshell turtles are unlike any other group of turtles – with their soft-shells, snake-like neck, and snorkel-like nostrils. Native to Africa, Asia, and North America, this group (family Trionychidae) contains 35 species. Three species of softshell turtle are found in North America. The Florida softshell (Apalone ferox) is the largest. In Florida, I have had […]

Toad Toxicity

Amphibians are generally small, soft, and many bigger predators like to eat them. A few groups have evolved chemical defenses which make them toxic and therefore unpalatable to predators. One such group is the toads (family Bufonidae). Herping (verb): the act of searching for amphibians and reptiles. Several weeks ago, in the Everglades, I decided […]

Lure-fishing animals

In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. There are lots of amazing examples of animal mimicry. This post focuses on one particular category: those that use lures to attract prey. But, you ask, how does an animal, other than a (human) fisherman, […]

Caterpillars mimicking snakes

A few weeks ago, in the Everglades, I came upon an interesting caterpillar. It had a spotted pattern, with the spot closest to the head looking remarkably similar to a vertebrate eye. I managed to get a few photos from different angles and even a video showing its rocking back-and-forth crawling movement. The encounter got […]

Predatory tortoises and iguanas

Living reptiles include the tuatara, lizards, snakes, turtles (and tortoises), and crocodilians (see below Figure). Reptiles are primarily carnivorous (i.e. preying upon and eating other animals), with some variation amongst the different groups. The tuatara, an ancient lineage represented by a single living species endemic to New Zealand, is carnivorous. All crocodilians (24 species) are […]