Tag archives for florida
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A Florida man found and killed a 18.8-foot Burmese python, which beats out the previous record-holding snake by a foot.
Geography in the News: Dengue Fever Threat Much Greater
Posted by Neal Lineback of Maps101.com and Maps.com on April 11, 2013 By Neal Lineback and Mandy Lineback Gritzner, Geography in the NewsTM and Maps.com DENGUE FEVER Reports of dengue fever were rare in Florida until 2009 when physicians began diagnosing cases around Key West in individuals who had not traveled outside the state. National Public Radio recently reported that, with mosquito season under way in 2011,…
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When an endangered species begins to thrive in a certain area, that should be the cause of celebration. But in Kings Bay, Florida, the celebration is becoming problematic for the local manatee populations, that use the warm waters to survive the winters. The waters are becoming crowded with tourists who flock to the region to swim and kayak among the slow-moving marine mammals.
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This Saturday is the one-month anniversary of Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) new 86,000 square-foot Center of Excellence for Coral Reef Ecosystems Research. The $50-million facility, located at NSU’s Oceanographic Center at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park in Hollywood, Florida, celebrated its grand opening at the end of September. The massive and multifaceted project…
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Update 10/15/12 2:19PM: The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has reported that the ‘mystery eyeball’ appears to be from swordfish. Learn More. Perhaps reminiscent of the infamous Montauk monster, a giant eyeball has washed up on a Florida beach (as if Florida needed anything else weird). The Internets are buzzing with questions: whose eye…
A woman has reportedly just turned herself in after pictures surfaced this week of her riding a manatee off Florida. Harassing a manatee in any way is against Florida law, and is a second-degree misdemeanor. The Florida Manatee Sanctuary Acts states: ”It is unlawful for any person at any time, by any means, or in any…
Posted by The giant invasive snakes that are thought to be breeding and munching their way through the native animals in Florida’s Everglades may have found their nemesis in the form of one of America’s most beloved pets, the Labrador retriever. “The scenario sounds like a low-budget movie from the 1970s: Humongous snakes are on the loose,…
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Carlton Ward begins his exciting journey through the state of Florida on a mission to traverse 1,000 miles in 100 days, drawing attention to the need to preserve and protect wildlife corridors throughout the state.
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Pythons sometimes have eyes too big for their stomachs—read about some particularly epic snake meals that went bust.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom joined a number of leading zoos today in treating their animals to Halloween pumpkin treats. The animals are entirely unaware of Halloween, of course, but their keepers seem to welcome any opportunity to have fun for themselves and visitors — while the animals no doubt welcome a change of diet and an…
Meet NG Young Explorers
Posted by Andrew Howley of NG Staff on October 11, 2011 
While famous figures continue to make discoveries and lead thrilling expeditions, a new group of National Geographic Young Explorers are laying the foundations for the future. If you’re in D.C., join us at Headquarters this Friday to meet Shannon Switzer, Neil Losin, and Emily Ainsworth.
Happy 40th, Walt Disney World
Posted by Anne Marie Houppert on September 30, 2011 
Walt Disney World opened forty years ago on October 1, 1971, in Orlando, Florida. The dream of Walter Elias Disney, it created a city out of orange groves and swamps. In his 2007 National Geographic article, T.D. Allman explores the concept of a theme-park nation and how Disney’s utopian dream convinced America to vacation and live in a buggy, swampy area still officially called the Reedy Creek Improvement District.
Posted by NG Young Explorer Neil Losin reveals the method behind the madness of his latest experiment catching tiny lizards called anoles in the wilds of urban Florida.
There we were, creeping gingerly on a dilapidated rope bridge a few yards above hippos and crocodiles. “Stop shaking the bridge,” the person in front of me yelled as the bridge swung and shook. On the far side of the croc pool we could see elephants and antelope grazing on the savanna. Vultures surveyed the…
Mission Blue: The Wake-Up Call
Posted by Ford Cochran on January 11, 2011 Aboard ship in the Gulf of Mexico, ecologist and author Carl Safina of Stony Brook University’s Blue Ocean Institute talks with Sylvia Earle about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its aftermath. “It was a wake-up call,” says Carl, “and I hope we don’t hit the snooze button because it will happen again. There are…
Mission Blue: Second Successful Team Dive in the Dual Deepworker
Posted by erinhirota on January 9, 2011 Though foiled by weather mere seconds before a planned sub launch on their morning attempt to dive together, executive director of the Harte Research Institute Larry McKinney and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle persevere, and the effort pays off: They complete a successful shallow-water dive off the Florida coast in the dual Deepworker sub–the second…
Mission Blue: Grim Forecast Sends Medusa Ashore
Posted by erinhirota on January 8, 2011 After two journeys to the bottom of the sea and back, a grim marine weather forecast–60-knot winds and 12- to 16-foot seas–for target deepwater drop sites forces the Medusa back to shore. The Medusa, back on deck after its second and final descent of the expedition. By EDIE WIDDER We’ve been WOW: Waiting On Weather.…
Mission Blue: Moments From Deployment
Posted by erinhirota on January 8, 2011 National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle and Harte Research Institute Executive Director Larry McKinney prepare for Mission Blue’s second Gulf dive in the Deepworker submarine, but rising winds and seas put the mission on hold mere moments from deployment. The duo shares their frustration with the uncooperative weather, and their determination to try again. Larry McKinney…
Mission Blue: Video Postcard–Into the Deep
Posted by erinhirota on January 8, 2011 A few days into the Mission Blue expedition to the Gulf of Mexico, oceanographer and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle sends a video invitation: “Let us take you along as we venture into the deep, and come back with reasons for hope.” By SYLVIA EARLE Pensacola, Florida, with the research vessel Brooks McCall. I’m Sylvia…
Mission Blue: The Land of Oz
Posted by erinhirota on January 7, 2011 On the Survivors of the Spill expedition’s second attempt, we successfully deploy the Waitt Institute’s dual Deepworker sub in relatively shallow waters near the Florida coast. Moments after their safe return to the research vessel Brooks McCall, oceanographer and National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle and ecologist Thomas Shirley describe the green “blizzard of life” that…
Mission Blue: Seafloor Dramas Unfold Before the Medusa’s Eye
Posted by erinhirota on January 7, 2011 On our second full day at sea, the Mission Blue: Survivors of the Spill team departs Roughtongue Reef for quieter waters near the head of the submerged Desoto Canyon. We drop the marine observatory Medusa to the bottom for the second time. Edie Widder of the Ocean Research and Conservation Association discusses what Medusa sees…
Mission Blue: Rough Weather at Roughtongue Reef
Posted by erinhirota on January 5, 2011 On the Survivors of the Spill expedition’s first full day at sea, wind and waves conspired to keep the Deepworker sub out of the ocean–but the Medusa marine lander made a successful first drop onto Roughtongue Reef. National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle and Harte Research Institute ecologist Thomas Shirley recount the day. After long minutes…
Mission Blue: Test Dive at Roughtongue Reef
Posted by erinhirota on January 5, 2011 National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Sylvia Earle and Harte Research Institute ecologist Thomas Shirley describe plans for their first dive of the expedition in the Waitt Institute’s two-person Deepworker sub at Roughtongue Reef, part of the “string of pearls in the top of the northern Gulf.” The two-person Waitt Institute’s Deepworker sub with hatches up before departing…
Mission Blue: Medusa Drops to the Bottom of the Gulf
Posted by erinhirota on January 5, 2011 At Roughtongue Reef in the Gulf of Mexico, some 80 miles east of the BP Deepwater Horizon spill site, Dr. Edie Widder of the Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA) deploys the Medusa–a sophisticated deep sea observatory that can film and test seawater conditions–for the first time in the open ocean. At dock in Pensacola,…
Mission Blue: Next Stop – The Ocean
Posted by erinhirota on January 4, 2011 As the research vessel Brooks McCall prepares to embark from Pensacola’s city dock for destinations near the BP Deepwater Horizon spill site, expedition co-leaders Thomas Shirley and Sylvia Earle discuss their goals for the week ahead. Sylvia Earle with the Brooks McCall. By Thomas Shirley and Sylvia Earle Shirley: Sylvia, we’re departing on the Mission…
