In today’s episode we’re talking about Florida’s state saltwater mammal, the dolphin. We will discuss why it’s not technically correct to call them a porpoise, some fascinating behaviors they exhibit the exemplify their intelligence, some basic biology and more.

Learn More:

• Sarasota Dolphin Research Program - https://sarasotadolphin.org/
• Common Bottlenose Dolphin - https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/common-bottlenose-dolphin
• Dolphin- https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/mammals/aquatic/dolphin/

How You Can Help:

• Practice safe and ethical behaviors when interacting with dolphins: Swimming and feeding interactions increase risk of injury from boats, increases the incidents of entanglement in fishing gear, decreases dolphins’ willingness to forage for food and may cause habituated behaviors to be passed on to calves and other dolphins.
• Observe from a respectful distance: It's recommended to view from at least 50 yards away and limit your time spent observing to 30 minutes or less.
• Learn to love dolphins! There are many smartphone applications and websites where you can track dolphins and learn about them along the way.

Sources:

• Highlight: Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Inhabitance of the St. Johns River - https://sjrr.domains.unf.edu/highlights-2017/
• Cetaceans and Primates: Convergence in Intelligence and Self Awareness - https://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1029&context=acwp_asie
• Sarasota Dolphin Research Program - https://sarasotadolphin.org/

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In today’s episode we’re talking about Florida’s state freshwater fish, the Florida bass. We will discuss why it’s no longer called the largemouth bass, where they can be found, how they survive and support our freshwater ecosystems and more.

Learn More:

• Florida Bass/Largemouth Bass - https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/freshwater/largemouth-bass/

• State Freshwater Fish - https://dos.fl.gov/florida-facts/florida-state-symbols/state-freshwater-fish/

• Florida Bass Research - https://myfwc.com/research/freshwater/sport-fishes/florida-bass/

How You Can Help:

• Encourage aquatic plant management in your community, if you have natural lakes. Diverse, abundant submerged aquatic plants help with water clarity. A goal of 50% submerged lake bottom coverage by native plant species is highly correlated with higher water clarity and less algae.

• Get a fishing license or one of specialty license plates - https://myfwc.com/license/recreational/freshwater-fishing/

• Learn about the Trophy Catch program - https://license.gooutdoorsflorida.com/Angler/Home

Sources:

• Phylogenomics and species delimitation of the economically important Black Basses (Micropterus) - https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9170712/

• Aging: Biologists use otiliths to determine the age of fish - https://myfwc.com/research/freshwater/fisheries-resources/techniques/aging/

• Trophic state indicators are a better predictor of Florida bass condition compared to temperature in Florida’s freshwater bodies - https://klwilson.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/trophic-state-predicts-bass-condition-boucek-et-al-2017.pdf

• The largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides (Lacepe`de, 1802): impacts of a powerful freshwater fish predator outside of its native range - https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11160-019-09570-2.pdf

In today’s episode we’re talking about the mysterious and massive horse conch, Florida’s state shell. We will discuss the meaning behind its common and scientific name, what it looks like, where it’s found, research on population numbers, some fascinating behaviors and benefits of this species, and of course, what each of us can do to help support our state shell, the horse conch.

Learn More:

• VIDEO: Giant Horse Conch & Burglar Hermit Crabs (Blue Planet, BBC Earth) - https://youtu.be/P_hBp1sEwfs?si=Du1L_g7JXjSoN7n7

• Shell of the Week: The Horse Conch - https://shellmuseum.org/blog/shell-of-the-week-the-horse-conch/

• Sea Wonder: Horse Conch - https://marinesanctuary.org/blog/sea-wonder-horse-conch/

How You Can Help:

• Support your local National Marine Sanctuary - https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/

• Document sightings on iNaturalist - https://www.inaturalist.org/

• Visit and support the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium, host of the largest horse conch in the world - https://shellmuseum.org/

• Participate in beach cleanups and local restoration projects, and support organizations working to protect Florida's waterways.

Sources:

• Age and growth of one of the world’s largest carnivorous gastropods, the Florida Horse Conch, Triplofusus giganteus (Kiener, 1840), a target of unregulated, intense harvest - https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0265095

• Sea Wonder: Horse Conch - https://marinesanctuary.org/blog/sea-wonder-horse-conch/

• Mighty, the Horse Conch - https://shellmuseum.org/blog/mighty-the-horse-conch/