West Indian Manatee
Manatees can often be seen in the coastal waters surrounding Pinellas County. If you happen to spot a manatee, please contact the Pinellas County Manatee Watch Line at (727) 464-4077. The Watch Line is an important tool used to identify area locations frequented by the manatee. Manatees have an average length of 10 feet and weigh 800-1200 pounds. Manatees can be found living in freshwater, brackish or marine environments and are herbivorous (feeding on plant material), consuming 80-100 pounds of vegetation daily. These gentle marine mammals are the source of the legendary “mermaids of the sea”. Today, the West Indian Manatee is classified as a Federally endangered species and is threatened by boat and barge traffic, flood control structures, loss of habitat, pollution, and carelessly thrown trash and fishing gear. As these mammals are protected, do not harass or feed them.
Around Pinellas County, you will encounter a number of oyster beds. The beds are found where currents can carry particles of food to the oysters. When oyster larvae are produced, it is carried in the current and attaches to another oyster to grow. This creates clusters of oysters, or the beds that you see in the water. The American Oystercatcher is a shorebird which preys upon the oyster beds, along with crabs and starfish.
There are three species of mangroves common to Florida that can be seen along the Pinellas County coastline. Red mangroves grow along the shore and are often referred to as walking trees because their prop roots give the appearance of walking. Behind these, grow the black mangroves, which are identifiable by their numerous finger-like projections called pneumatophores. These pneumatophores protrude from the soil and help bring oxygen to the tree’s roots. The white mangrove has light yellow-green leaves which are oval and have two small glands at the base of each leaf blade. Mangroves are essential to the environment of Pinellas County, providing organic matter to feed fish life and encourage a diverse aquatic habitat. Mangroves also filter human pollution and protect the mainland of Pinellas County from flooding associated with storm surge.
This type of dolphin is common to the waters surrounding Pinellas County and resides in groups called “communities” which tend to remain within the same general location for a number of generations. Dolphin feed on a variety of fish, including mullet, pinfish and pigfish.
Alligators are present in virtually every freshwater body of water in the region. These prehistoric reptiles are normally afraid of humans and will keep their distance. It is illegal to feed alligators because it causes them to lose their natural fear of humans and, as a result, they may begin to associate humans with food. Be careful during the month of May, which is peak mating season for alligators, as they may become territorial. Alligators can be dangerous; do not approach or harass them.
This animal is common in the shallow waters around the Pinellas County coastline. Stingrays feed from the bottom of the sea floor and can be seen floating, or ‘flying’, through the water. Stingrays are not aggressive, but will ‘sting’ you with their tail if stepped on. Pinellas County advises those wading in the coastal waters to do the ‘Stingray Shuffle’, shuffling your feet and kicking up sand as you walk. Stingrays rest in the sand and can be difficult to spot if they have buried themselves.
There are a great number of species native to the coastal areas of Pinellas County. One species that you will often find close to the coast and in mangrove areas is the mullet. This fish is recognizable because it often takes flying leaps out of the water. In those shallow areas around Weedon Island and just outside of Boca Ciega Millennium Park, it seems that there is almost always a mullet jumping near you. Other varieties of fish to look for include striper, snook, and amberjack (in deeper water).
The Great Blue Heron in Florida comes in two colors; gray and white. While they are the same species of bird, the white morph colored heron is distinguishable by a solid white body, yellow beak and pale legs. The gray colored heron has a gray body, a white crown stripe and a black plume extending from behind the eye to behind the neck. Herons in general have a large body, an ‘S’ shaped neck and long legs. Herons gather in shallow, coastal waters where fish are abundant. It is not uncommon to find these birds in large groups in shallow waters near mangrove areas fishing for a meal. Herons are also known for incorporating other animals into their diet, including mice.
The Great Egret is also known as a large, white heron. Common to the coastal waters of Pinellas County, these birds are similar to the white morph Great Blue heron, but slightly smaller in size. The egret has a white body with long black legs and feet. Its neck is ‘S’ shaped and its bill is long and yellow. The snowy white egret, distinguished by its yellow feet, is another bird in the egret family common to the area. The Great Egret sustains itself mainly on fish and is the symbol of the National Audubon Society, one of the oldest environmental organizations in North America.
This variety of pelican is the only dark colored pelican out of seven different types, and also the only one that dives from the air to catch its food in the water. The Brown Pelican is found on coastlines throughout Pinellas County. In fact, there are a couple of ‘pelican islands’ located on the eastern side of the County, one south of Coquina Key and the other in Coffee Pot Bayou. The Brown Pelican is listed as a Species of Special Concern in Florida, as shooting the birds for feathers and to ‘protect’ the fish populations became commonplace in the early 20th century. Deaths attributed to pesticide poisoning, especially by DDT, was also a main contributor. Over the last few decades, however, the population numbers have begun to climb again and the brown pelican is gradually recovering.
This bird is large, long-legged wader with a long neck and a large, slightly curved bill. There are no feathers on the woodstork’s head or neck, but it has plumed white feathers on its body and black feathers on the bottoms of its wings. This stork flies with its neck extended and feeds mainly off of coastal fish. This bird is listed as Endangered, because of its mangrove habitat decreasing due to wetland development.
This bird is listed as a Species of Special Concern in the State of Florida. Locally, they are commonly found in coastal mangrove or spoil islands. It is the only spoonbill species in the Western Hemisphere and the only pink bird to breed in Florida. This bird is vulnerable to human disruption of its nesting colonies and to the alteration of its feeding habitats.
These herbivorous reptiles are classified as a Species of Special Concern by the State of Florida. The gopher tortoise is common in many upland habitats in Florida, including scrub, pine flatwoods and dunes along the beach. The tortoise requires sandy soil for burrowing into the ground, small plants to eat and an open tree canopy to allow sunlight through. The burrow provides the tortoise with protection from predators, extreme heat conditions and stormy weather. The main threats to gopher tortoises today are habitat destruction, invasive species and an upper respiratory disease which has been spreading throughout the tortoise population.
Seagrasses are submerged aquatic vegetation and an integral part of our local marine environment. A single acre of seagrass can produce 10 tons of leaves per year, which provide food, habitat and breeding areas for fish, shorebirds and aquatic mammals. These beds also provide protection to juvenile fish and dampen the effects of wave action on the coastline. When in seagrass areas use caution to not damage or otherwise harm this vegetation. The greatest threats to seagrasses come from pollution and propeller scarring. In Pinellas County, special seagrass protection areas exist around both Fort De Soto Park and Weedon Island. St. Joseph’s Harbor, between Tarpon Springs and Dunedin, is also heavily vegetated with seagrasses. Special precautions should be taken in these areas so as to not damage this vital habitat.