Just when you think you won’t see one.

As I was approaching the gravesite at Wooten’s Swamp Buggy Rides I swa what I thought was a deer
standing on iot’s hind legs eating some leaves high on the branch.
All of a sudden it grew a really long tail, it was a panther jumping into a tree followed by a load growling scream.

Then total silence.
I had immediately shut off the buggy and grabbed my camera. I was going to get the picture of a lifetime.

You see, I thought I had treed the cat. If so I thought it wouldn’t attempt to flee. I’m thinking once
treed it’s made it’s final attempt to escape.

As I started up the buggy and approached I hit a cypress knee and spilled my coffee,
which was okay because I avoided getting any on me. As I looked up however there goes
the panther across my path with a raccoon locked in it’s mouth.

The cat wasn’t treed he had only caught breakfast…

So I didn’t get the live pictures but, I got these with my stealth cam.

AWESOME!

If you wern’t here a couple weeks ago you missed the panther catching the raccoon at the swamp buggy grave site. If you miss the chance to photograph the baby eagles first flight you may just hate yourself later…

As Seen On: Wooten's Swamp Buggy Ride

Early Spring is the time in which Bald Eagle
chicks hatch and learn to fly for the first
time, and it’s no different here at:

Wooten’s Everglades Airboat & Swamp Buggy Rides.

It is an exciting moment when they attempt
their first flight, but it can also be a time
of great concern.

The chicks have one chance to get it right,
or they may not survive.

It’s been reported that approximately forty
percent of the eaglets do not survive their
first flight, so it is certainly a critical stage in
the life of an American Bald Eagle…

Although flying is an inborn instinct in the Bald Eagle, it does not necessarily mean that their first flight will be successful. If you are an eagle watcher, it can be a very tense moment, watching the first flight attempt.

The baby Bald Eagle chicks hatch after an incubation period of approximately 35 days. They have a special beak or “egg tooth” to poke through their shell which is called pipping…

The eggs will hatch in the order they were laid, and it can take from 12-48
hours for the young chicks to break out. There are usually two, but sometimes
three eggs. Survival begins immediately, because it is not uncommon for the
oldest eaglet to kill the youngest, and neither parent will stop the
fratricide.

The newly hatched eaglets are grayish-white, with soft down, partially closed
eyes, and legs too weak to stand on. With both eagle parents sharing nest
duties, and feeding the young eaglets, they grow very rapidly, and in 4-5
weeks, the eaglets are able to stand, and tear their own food to eat.

In six weeks, they are nearly as large as the parents, and their black juvenile
feathers begin growing, replacing the soft down which covered their young
bodies.

As Seen On: Wooten's Swamp Buggy Ride

From the time they are about 10 days old, to the sixth week, they are watching
their parents fly, which is called imprinting. By the eighth week, the eaglets
have voracious appetites, they begin to stretch their wings, and sometimes they
may be lifted slightly by wind currents in the nest.

Around this time, the eaglet becomes a fledgling, when the fluffy down is
completely replaced with their flying feathers. The parents encourage flying
movements by holding food out of their reach, so that they have to drift or
hover above the nest in order to get the food, but do not have to leave the
nest completely.

The eagle’s feathers help them to fly, and there are three types. The covert feathers add thickness to the front end, forcing the air up and over the eagle’s wing.

The primary feathers spread apart, which reduces air friction, and the
secondary feathers move up and down, which lessens the drag, or air resistance.
The site of the eaglet’s first flight is important, because this site will be
where it will later return to nest and raise young of its own.

Before even maturing enough to make a first flight, the Bald Eagle must survive
the elements, predators, siblings, and falling from the nest. Although the
eagle’s nest is very large, and at least one parent is there with the chicks at
all times, chicks may get tangled in twigs of the nest, or fall from the very
high nest to its death.

Surviving long enough to grow the required flying feathers is an accomplishment
in itself. The parents do not shove the eaglets out of the nest, it is the
eaglet’s decision when to fly for the first time, and this usually happens
around the eleventh or twelfth week.

If the eaglets do make a successful flight, they are dealing with a new ground
environment for the first time, and it can be lethal as well, so the success of
flight is thwarted by new dangers.

Through all of the danger and adversity, the Bald Eagles who survive the first few months of life, are to be admired, along with the Bald Eagle parents who have nurtured and trained them to this crucial point of being…

If you see people with binoculars near the resident Bald Eagle nests in at
Wooten’s Airboat Rides, it is to watch this first flight in admiration and
amazement.

1. The Bald Eagle is not bald at all, the name originated from an old English word
   “balde”, meaning white, and the Bald Eagle has white feathers on its head.
2. The Bald Eagle has been the National symbol of the United States since 1782,
   and “Old Abe” was the most famous mascot of the Civil War, involved in 36
   battles with the Eighth Wisconsin. He did not die in battle, but was trapped in
   a burning building, and died of smoke inhalation at age 44.
3. A Florida Bald Eagle’s nest was reported as being 9 feet wide, 20 feet tall,
   and weighing more than 4,000 pounds.
4. The Irish believe that the Bald eagle is the oldest creature, and therefore, a
   bird of great wisdom.
5. Many European myths depict the eagle as saving many people from famine, most
   probably based on how the adult eagle brings food to its young.bThe eagle was
   thought to have served as Jupiter’s companion and personal messenger, and was
   the only creature able to look directly into the sun.
6. Ancient Persians believed that the eagle was the protector of all earth.
7. In Native American culture, the eagle symbolizes wisdom, authority, power,
   peace, and the Creator, or Great Spirit. The gift of eagle feathers symbolizes
   great honor.
8. The two sides of the eagle feather allows the eagle to fly higher and faster,
   and symbolizes in Native American beliefs, a balanced spirit of intellect and
   emotion, logic and spirituality.
9. In psychology, dreams of eagles with snakes clutched in their talons, is
   believed to represent the conflict of opposites, such as the conscious versus
   the unconscious mind.
10. The group name for Bald Eagles is Kettle (A kettle of Bald Eagles captured a
    fish).
11. The Bald Eagle’s eyesight is five times sharper than that of humans.
12. Bald Eagles have openings on the side of their beaks which are called nares,
    and they help them to respire, or breath.
13. Bald Eagles do not have vocal cords, and the screeching sound that they make is
    caused by the flow of air into their neck bones.
14. Bald Eagle bones are hollow, they have approximately 7,000 feathers, and they
    stay with the same mate for life, or until one dies.
15. “Hoover” is a baby Bald Eagle, who was adopted by a foster eagle family in
    Florida, with the careful assistance of the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey,
    in 2010.

As Seen On: Wooten's Swamp Buggy Ride

The American Bald Eagle: It’s Past And Future

A bird that has inspired and intrigued people all over the world, is the Bald Eagle. Its symbolism of majesty, pride and strength, is revered in almost any culture, and is mentioned in traditional mythologies and folklore, more than any other bird.

Once on the endangered species list, the Bald Eagle has managed to overcome and thrive once again, but continues to need our support and protection. Maintaining a proper environment for new chicks to grow and develop is essential to their survival…

It is up to us, to provide the Bald Eagle, with a proper chance to take a first
flight, which we can watch in delight and amazement…

Eagle Mom & Eaglet

The talented, affectionate, and playful Lontra canadensis, the Latin name for the North American river otter, or the common otter, is a member of the weasel family, and a semiaquatic mammal which resides in the Florida Everglades, as well as other areas of North America.

It is found to inhabit inland waterways, and coastal areas in Canada, the Pacific Northwest, the Atlantic states, and the Gulf of Mexico.

They also inhabit forested regions of the Pacific Coast in North America and also reside in Alaska.  Although the river otter is not presently on the endangered list of mammals, yet it is very sensitive to pollution, so many efforts have been made to preserve this animal in the Florida Everglades, as well as across the United States.

The North American otter is  a stocky animal with an elongated body, and short, but  powerful legs.  The average male otter weighs twenty-five pounds, and the female averages nineteen pounds.

They are on average twenty-six to forty-two inches in length, and one-third of their length is made up of their long, tapered tail.  They have a broad muzzle, on a flat head,  round ears, and small eyes.  It is short-haired, and its color is from light brown to black, except around the throat, chin and lip area, where it is grayer.  Its vibrissae, or whiskers, are long and thick, to enhance their sensory perception. The river otter’s streamlined shape and webbed toes, allow it to glide through the water at speeds up to eleven miles per hour.

Otters can remain underwater for nearly four minutes, and dive to twenty meters.  It has a delicate sense of touch in its paws, and its sense of hearing and smell are very acute. It is estimated to live twenty-one to twenty-five years in captivity, and eight to nine years on average, in the wild.  An adult otter has thirty-six specialized teeth, to inflict lethal bites in its prey, and large molars to crush shells of any molluscs eaten, such as snails or slugs.

The river otters are more social than most in their group of carnivores called mustelids.  The otter social group consists of the adult male and female, and sometimes a helper, who is an unrelated adult otter.  Yearlings and juveniles are also part of their social group.

They are not territorial animals, so they hunt and travel together, use the same dens and resting sites, and perform allogrooming, maintaining each other’s appearance and cleanliness.  The otters are active year-round, and are capable of traveling up to forty-two kilometers in a day, however they travel much less in the winter.

They communicate by scent marking with feces and urine, and musk is produced from the scent glands when the otter is frightened, or angry.  They are very vocal animals who growl, or use  high-pitched screeches.

The male otter may have many mates, and the female raises their young with no help from the male.  In early spring, the expectant mothers look for a den, or holt, in which to give birth.  The female otter does not reproduce usually, until two years of age.  They breed from december to april, and the gestation period is from sixty one to sixty three days.

The North American Otter delays implantation of the embryo for eight months, and this trait distinguishes it from the European Otter.  The kits, or pups are usually born from february to april, and there are from one to three, but she could have as many as five.  The pups weigh about five ounces at birth, are fully furred, blind, and toothless, but have well-formed claws, and whiskers.

After thirty to thirty-eight days, they open their eyes, and begin playing in five to six weeks.  The mother introduces the pups to water after two months, and they leave the den in eight weeks.  Prior to the arrival of a new litter, they leave, in search of their own range.

The river otter is opportunistic in finding a den by the water’s edge.  They will use already established dens made by woodchucks, red foxes, muskrats, or beavers.  They may use natural hollows, hollow trees, rock formations, flood debris, or river banks.

The nest is lined with leaves, grass, moss, bark, and hair.  The otter determines where it chooses to reside, by the food supply of mainly fish.  Otters can eat as much as three pounds of fish per day, and although they eat other available prey such as amphibians, turtles, crayfish, and small mammals, fish is their main staple. They are able to tolerate a great range of temperature and elevations, but require a steady food supply, and easy access to water.  It lives in rivers, lakes, swamps, coastal shorelines, tidal flats, and estuary ecosystems.

Otters can be trained to catch and retrieve fish, ducks, and pheasants from land or water.  Fishing, using otters, originated in Asia, and is used in China, Malaya, and India.

Although the North American River Otter is listed as of Least Concern according to the IUCN Redlist of endangered species, the otter is threatened by trapping, environmental pollution, disease related to pollution, urbanization and road kill, oil spills, acid drainage from coal mines, mercury poisoning, and phosphorus in their waters.  Reintroduction programs have been expanded in recent years, especially in the Midwest United States.

The Florida Everglades has initiated a program recently, in 2011, to address the high phosphorus levels in the water supply of the otter, to help in stabilizing the reduction in the overall otter population.  The lowest population of North American River Otter in Florida, is the freshwater marsh population.

If the water pollution problem, now facing the Florida Everglades, can be controlled, the otter will not be threatened.  Every effort however, must be made, with coordinating agencies, to make the habitat pollution free for these mammals.

The Florida Panther is a subspecies of North American Cougar, and was chosen as the Florida state animal in 1982.  It is also know as puma, or mountain lion.

The Florida panther is unique to South Florida, and lives in forests and swamps within the range of Everglades National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve and Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge. There are only an estimated 100-120  Florida panthers still living in the wild, and although recovery efforts have been proposed for the panther, the efforts have fallen short to date.  Establishing an environmentally safe habitat for the Florida panther is crucial to its survival.

Florida panthers are solitary, and territorial animals.  They do not range together, except when they are mating, and require approximately 200 square miles of habitat.  Male panthers can weigh up to 160 pounds, and each male breeds with two to five females.  The females produce from one to six kittens, approximately every two years, with a  gestation period of 92-94 days.  The kittens will remain with their mothers until they are from twelve to eighteen months old. The kittens are spotted in color when they are born, and have blue eyes.

As they mature, the spots fade to become a completely tan coat, and the eyes yellow in color.  The adult panther has a creamy white underbelly, with black tips on its tail and ears.  They do not roar, but instead make their own sounds which are similar to whistles, chirps, growls, hisses, and purrs.   The panthers usually have a lifespan of ten to twelve years.

The Florida panther living in the Florida Everglades National Park, prefers the pine and hardwood hammocks, which are dense stands of pine or hardwood trees, growing a few inches above elevation.  They prey upon white-tailed deer, wild hogs, rabbits, raccoons, armadillos, birds, and mice.  The panther helps maintain a natural balance of population levels of other species in the wild.

The Florida panther’s scientific classification, or taxonomy is unresolved, and that has caused issues in determining just how many actual Florida panthers there are in the wild, and also whether they should be listed as endangered or not.  When grouped as North American Cougars, their number rises, thus causing a dilemma for the Florida panther’s survival exclusively.

The classification variations between 30 subspecies of cougar, result from variables of adaptation to climate, terrain, and prey, all of which factor into the genetic makeup of their offspring.

In the 1970′s, there were only approximately thirty Florida Panthers in the wild.  This number has increased, but due to grouping the species, the Florida panther is not on the endangered species list, as of 2008.  This may suggest that without reclassification, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), ceases to recognize the Florida panther as a unique subspecies.

Although  various measures were taken to protect the panther in general, such as protecting them from legal hunting in 1958, being listed as an endangered species in 1967, and being added to Florida state’s endangered species list in 1973, the Florida panther exclusively, is still in danger.  In actuality, there would need to be at least 240 Florida panthers in order to be removed from the endangered list, and without incorporating other subspecies, they should remain on the endangered list.

The Florida Everglades National Park protects the southern portion of the original Everglades, and is known to be the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States.  It was created to protect the ecosystem that already existed as opposed to just safeguarding the unique geographic feature it is.

Now, due to human population growth, and major construction, the Everglades is being transformed, leaving the Florida panther with a less than satisfactory habitat in which to live.  With agriculture and development intensifying in southern Florida, the grasslands are becoming polluted, affecting the prey, and ultimately the Florida panther population.

The region is also being stressed by the invasion of plant species which are disruptive and of little use to the panther.

The Florida Panther Scientific Review Team (SRT) drafted a new Panther Recovery Plan due to  failure of previous plans made by the Fish and Wildlife Services (FWS) in 1995.  It seems that the FWS used a knowingly flawed science, in the assessment of the Florida panther’s habitat, in order to promote real estate development in southwest Florida.

The FWS has not scientifically designated critical habitat for the panther, thus creating turmoil between various restorative agencies as to what to do next.  The restoration task force has recently, in 2011, again initiated the effort to rid the grasslands from phosphorous and other pollutants, yet strong directives, and agency unification is needed to proceed.

Proposals have been made recently, to create additional habitat, enhance existing ecosystems,  breed Florida panthers in captivity, and to increase genetic variability through cross-breeding with closely related species. The Florida panther is a unique population however, and to remain unique, would entail only Florida panther breeding and relocating them to southern Georgia, or Northern Florida in order to build the population exclusively.

As of now, only forty to sixty percent of Florida panther kittens live to young adulthood. Habitat loss from pollution, and human population, death due to attacks from other panthers, road kill, disease, infection due to injury, and starvation, take the lives of others.

The management or mismanagement of the habitat for the Florida panther will determine their ability to survive.  Instead of being a cold case file, the Florida panther needs a unique classification, and agencies who work diligently together, in order to save its own unique species.

Progress is slow, but with better public education, and help from the people of Florida, perhaps the Florida panther will not fade away, and will continue to remain a strong symbol of the state of Florida.

Its species is Lynx Rufus, with a subgenus of Felis Rufus.  There has been debate over whether to classify the bobcat as part of a wider genus, or give them their own.

The Lynx genus is accepted now, in modern classification sources, and the bobcat is listed as Lynx Rufus.  The bobcat is the smallest of the four species of the Lynx genus on average, with a height of 17-23 inches, and length of 25-41 inches.

It is about twice as big as a common house cat, and resembles other species of the Lynx genus, only smaller.  The four types of Lynx are Eurasian, Canadian, Iberian, and Bobcat.  The bobcat is common throughout Canada, continental United States, and northern Mexico.  The bobcat is known to live in the Florida Everglades, and although categorized as “of least concern” on the endangerment list, much work has to be done to make sure that the habitat is, and will be suitable for the bobcat’s survival in the future.

The coat of the Lynx Rufus, or bobcat, is generally a tan color, to grayish brown, with black streaks on its body, and dark bars on its legs and  short, bobbed tail.  When viewing a bobcat from afar, the dark streaks may look like spots.  Its ears are black-tipped and pointed, with short black tufts of hair sticking out, making its face look wide.

The bobcat is colored to camouflage, or hide in its environment, so the desert bobcats are often much lighter, as the forest bobcat’s coat is much darker.  Most bobcats also have an off-white color on the belly, legs, and chin. Their eyes are yellow, with black pupils, they have sharp hearing, vision, and sense of smell, and are excellent climbers.

Bobcats are usually solitary and territorial, but small groups may hunt and travel together on occasion.

The range of a bobcat is from .02 to 126 square miles, and male’s territories may overlap, but not usually for females.  Bobcats inhabit areas with deciduous and coniferous trees, or mixed woodlands, and unlike other Lynx, it does not depend on the deep forest exclusively.

It ranges from swamps and desert areas, to mountainous and agricultural areas to live.  Bobcats are able to swim, but most generally avoid the water.  Bobcats prey upon anything from insects and small rodents, to deer, although it prefers rabbits and hares.

The bobcat is able to go without food for long periods of time, but they eat heartily when prey is available.  Bobcats will mark their territory with claw marks, or deposits of urine or feces, and will create dens in crevices, or under ledges.  The bobcat is crepuscular, meaning that it keeps moving three hours before sunset, until midnight, then before dawn, until three hours after sunrise.

Each night, it moves from two to seven miles.  This movement is subject to change seasonally with the difference in prey movement.

Bobcats usually live six to eight years in the wild, but some do live beyond ten years of age.  This is not taking into account the longer lives of those bobcats who are raised in captivity.  Mating takes place in late winter, usually February and March, and the male and female bobcat may have many partners.  There are two to four kittens, once a year, with a seventy-day gestational period.

The kittens stay with the mother for one more winter, before adventuring out on their own.  The bobcat remains reproductively active throughout their lives, and they begin breeding by the second summer of life.  Their population has proven to be somewhat resilient, and the longevity of the reproductive activity contributes to this, along with their instinctive territorial behaviors, and protective nature.

The bobcat in the Florida Everglades faces many obstacles for survival today.  Major risks to the lives of bobcats include cougars, coyotes, disease from infected prey that they have eaten, hunters, automobiles, starvation, and polluted water sources.  Although not considered threatened with extinction this moment, major efforts have to be made in order to keep the bobcat and the other wildlife population safe.

The bobcat needs to keep its own genus, so that it is not grouped with others, creating a larger bobcat population count than there actually is, and the habitat requires much needed improvement, which has been delayed for over a decade in the Florida Everglades.  State and Federal departments being able to coordinate efforts, will determine the future of the Everglades.

Their mutual goals are to restore the Everglades watershed, and the four million acres that are managed by these state and federal agencies.  The present conservation status is that there is currently an attempt to tie the state’s cleanup efforts to the  the federals aim at increasing water flow into Everglades National Park.

Other projects to be addressed are phosphorous from farm runoff, suburban construction interference, and drainage projects that do not work.  It is not enough to to appreciate nature, we have to protect it for the future, and both the state and federal authorities have the ability to make the Everglades and the bobcat safe, if they work together to achieve the goals set forth.

Nesting Bald Eagle Sightings are on the rise here at  here at Wooten’s Everglades Airboat  & Swamp Buggy Rides.

Over in the cypress swamp on Wooten’s Swamp Buggy Rides, the leaves are beginning to fall from the bald cypress. Our resident Bald Eagle’s nest is once again come into full view. It’s a magnificent sight to behold.

So, Grab you camera, your binoculars and call 1-800-282-2781 and book a swamp buggy tour and see the eagles nest from a safe and excellent vantage point for taking photographs. You will need some sort of zoom lens of course, because we don’t want to get so close as to disturb them.

You can also sign up for our newsletter and become the first to know when any eaglets arrive. It’s been an active successful nest in the past and it looks to be the same again this year. The parent Eagles are observed daily usually early in the mornings. That seems the best time. We look forward to serving and helping you experience see nature in it’s purest form… Thank you for coming by, Enjoy!

Status And Future Of The American Bald Eagle:  Florida Everglades Restoration Effort

The Bald eagle, chosen to symbolize the United State in 1782, represents strength, longevity of life, and majestic beauty with its soaring presence.  Soaring effortlessly in the sky, it is representative of the freedoms that we are entitled to as Americans.

As our freedoms need certain protection, the bald eagle also needs protection from environmental hazards in which we create.  Once listed as an endangered species, the bald eagle has again risen, and has been removed from the list, but the fate of the bald eagle must still be protected.

Since the 18th century, when there were an estimated 50,000 nesting bald eagles, the 1960′s showed the effects of negative environmental factors when there were only approximately 450 nesting pairs left.  Many efforts have been made, both by the government, and privately, to save the bald eagle, and they have worked so far.

We must continue however, and broaden the effort.

The bald eagle is a bird of prey, found in North America.  Its body length ranges from 28-38 inches, with an impressive wingspan of 66-88 inches.  Female bald eagles are larger than males, but both the female and male eagles have identical coloring.  They mainly feed on fish, therefore their habitat is near seacoasts, rivers, and large lakes.

They perch, roost, and nest in mature coniferous, or hardwood trees.  The northern eagles are migratory, seeking a new home in the winter time, and the southern birds are resident, and live in the same place year round.

Bald eagles have the same mate for life, unless one of the pair dies, and mating begins in April. It could take the pair several years to find and prepare a place for their nest before breeding.  The Southern Bald Eagle begins to nest in December and January.  Their nests are usually in large trees, within a mile of water, and are found 50-120 feet above ground, in a tall, sturdy tree such as the bald cypress here at Wooten’s Swampbuggy rides.

It may take them up to two weeks to prepare their nest, (eyrie, or aerie) with sticks, dead weeds, grass, dry moss, and feathers.  The nest can be as large as 6-10 feet in diameter, and some two ton nests have been found. They usually stay in the same nest, but may build an alternate nest to switch back and forth.

The female bald eagle lays two eggs, sometimes three, and the eggs are goose-sized, and dull white.  Sometimes they are pale blue in color. Both parents incubate, or brood the eggs, which take 34-35 days to hatch.  The eaglets remain in the nest for another 12-13 weeks, to get ready for their first trial flight.

After the eaglets learn to fly, and feed themselves, they are allowed to return to the nest for the rest of the summer.

In the twentieth century, the bald eagle has been threatened in numerous ecological ways, the most dangerous threat being the contamination of their food source.  After World War II, the pesticide DDT was used, and its residue washed off into lakes and streams.  The plants and animals of these bodies of water, absorbed the pesticide residue, and when the bald eagle fed on the fish or plant life, became contaminated.

Because of the contamination of their food source, they began to exhibit abnormal breeding behaviors, and their egg shells of their unhatched eaglets became thin, and embryos often died.  The accumulated toxic levels of lead from waterfowl and fish also contributed to the decreased population. PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, an insulating and cooling fluid in electrical transformers were released into the water also.

This along with lead, mercury, and DDT, polluted the waters, and the life in it.   Before 1940, when Congress passed the Bald Eagle Protection Act, it was lawful to shoot eagles, being yet another threat to the species.

Some specific measures have been taken by government and public agencies, such as using satellite platform transmitters and serum studies to research the health and recovery of the bald eagle.  The ban on DDT and PCBs was also important to improve the habitat, but we cannot stop there.

Recently, in October, 2011, the restoration task force met in West Palm Beach Florida, announcing an effort that could transform the way in which large public works projects are built across the country, in an effort to clean the grasslands from phosphorus and other pollutants.  The idea is to use publicly owned lands, to store and treat water in the Everglades Agricultural Area, where farmlands exist, and move the water south, to the already founded conservation areas, including the Everglades National Park.

Because time is of essence to the ecological problem of pollution, this plan is to cut a six year plan down to eighteen months. Although  the bald eagle was assigned the risk level of “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List in 2007, there is much left to do, to insure the safety of its population.  The bald eagle can continue to thrive, and there is hope if we, as Americans, help.

Bald Eagles Nest At Wooten's Everglades Airboat & Swamp Buggy Rides

Call us today and come see the bald eagles prepare for this years family additions… 1-800-282-2781

Ask about our combination special where you can save $10.00 per person.

Could it be the same mama bear or maybe it’s one of her baby cubs from a couple years ago?

Sign up for our newsletter on the left and you’ll be able to follow  (from a safe distance)
the black bear & other apex predator of the mysterious Florida Everglades.

Stay tuned as, The investigation continues…

Florida Black Bear (Ursus americanus floridanus)

The Everglades black bear is one of seventeen subspecies of the American black bear
that has historically ranged throughout most of Florida and southern portions of
adjoining states.

The black bear is the largest land mammal in Florida. The average male weighs about
250 pounds while the average female weighs approximately 180 pounds.

Black bears are omnivores (they eat both plants and animals). Foods they may eat
include fruits and insects. About 90% of the Everglades black bear is vegetarian.

Which still leaves that other 10 percent!…

Everglades Black bears are mostly black in color, although they may be a lighter
brown-colored, as well. It’s been recorded they can run up to 25 miles per hour and
that they excel in climbing trees. The back bear has mastered the art of climbing
above all other bears.

Black bears are found in forested areas of Florida and throughout North America.
Florida black bears may use depressions in the forest leaf litter for a winter rest
of a few days or many months. More of Wintering  Over” rather that of hibernation.

It is on the Florida State List of  Threatened species due to a number of factors,
but most notably motor vehicle accidents that have accounted for 89.5% of deaths
since 1994.

Hunting of the subspecies was banned in 1994 to further protect the Florida
population.

The large black-furred bears live mainly in forested areas and have seen recent
habitat reduction throughout the state.

A story in the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Airboating Magazine that showed an airboat called a Free Bottom Craft that was built in the mid to late 1920s, using a wood hull, a Curtiss aircraft engine and was on exhibit at a New York boat show. The airboat was built by Charles Post and Herbert Ballantine in Huntington, NY and tested on the Long Island’s Hewlett Bay.

By the 1930s homemade airboats began appearing in the swamps and marshes of Florida and Louisiana. One company in Florida claims to have been providing airboat rides as entertainment since the mid 1930s. Over the years a variety of designs were tried and through trial-and-error, the standard design used today arose: an open, flat bottom boat with an engine mounted on the back, the driver sitting in an elevated position, and a cage to protect the propeller from objects flying into them. One well documented case of a homemade design (though not the first) was an airboat built by staff at the Bear River Bird Refugee near Brigham City, Utah in the 1940s. It appears to have involved collaborative efforts by three employees of the refuge – Leo Young, G. Hortin Jensen and Cecil Williams.

A story in Ducks Unlimited magazine in 1987 mentioned Young and Jensen and dated the building of the first boat in 1950. Refuge records, however, show the first boat came into use in 1943, with several photos of running air boats dated 1947. Prior to the introduction of the airboat, refuge biologists had to either walk through shallow water and deep, sticky mud or push flat-bottom boats with long poles. Staff had experimented with a boat called the “Mud Queen,” which had small paddle wheels on either side that pushed the boat. They built their first airboat nicknamed “Alligator I” from a flat-bottom boat pushed along by an aircraft engine purchased for $99.50. Young reported that he called the first airboat an “air-thrust boat.” Once word got out about the boat, Leo Young built and sold boats all over the world.
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