Alligators just want to have fun! Images taken in the Florida Everglades show predators at play

Alligators Florida Everglades — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Thierry Eidenweil Remarkable images posted to social media channels over the past week feature alligators playing with a football and chasing a remote control boat around a lake, seeming to confirm a Tennessee university study that found that crocodilians like to have fun too. An image posted to

Giant flying Joro spider multiplying across the East Coast could soon invade Florida

Joro spider, a type of orb-weaver spider native to Japan — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Dave Hansche Americans living on the East Coast may soon find themselves facing an invasion of giant flying spiders. Large enough to cover the palm of your hand, the Joro spider is quite intimidating. But will these creatures pose a problem

More than 1,000 homes evacuated as wildfires rage through Florida’s Panhandle

Florida Wildfires — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Tom Fawls Rescue crews are working diligently to get several wildfires burning in the Sunshine State under control. Two of the biggest fires are still causing destruction within the Panhandle. There are a total of 168 wildfires burning across Florida right now. The biggest of them all is the

How Florida’s Key deer may be close to climate extinction

Key Deer — Courtesy: Shutterstock — moosehenderson When Hurricane Irma destroyed south Florida in September of 2017, it knocked out electricity for millions, inundated homes, and killed more than 30 people. However, the devastation was not confined to humans.  In the Florida Keys, one of the Sunshine State’s most beloved species also took a beating:

Exclusive footage shows a 200-year-old whaler shipwreck discovered off Florida’s coast

Shipwreck — Courtesy: Shutterstock — timsimages.uk A 19th-century whaler shipwreck has been found in a deep-sea dive off of Florida’s coast.  Video showing a ballast, anchor, bottles, and a stove resting on the ocean floor was released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on February 25.  The rusted iron anchor can be seen

‘Highly pathogenic’ bird flu has been found in Florida’s wild birds

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission confirmed that a new strain of avian flu is affecting the Sunshine State’s wild bird population.  The FWC said the National Veterinary Services Laboratory found cases of “Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, H5 2.3.4.4, in lesser scaup, black vultures and other wild birds.” Wildlife experts are now investigating bird

Florida legislature plans to pass first law protecting outdoor workers from heat exposure

Farm Workers Face Heat Exposure in Agriculture Field — Courtesy: Shutterstock — AFZAL KHAN MAHEEN We rarely take time to think about those who built the roof over our heads and picked the fresh produce we enjoy at the table. Field workers work hard in Florida’s unbearable heat to provide us with our most basic

According to officials, Florida’s lettuce test project has fed 25 tons of lettuce to manatees

Manatee Eating Lettuce — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Mary-Kaitlyn Arnette The unprecedented human effort to save starving Florida manatees has so far provided the adorable marine mammals with over 25 tons of lettuce, officials said Wednesday. The round-tailed, snout-nosed animals that are popular with tourists and locals have suffered a major die-off. Their preferred seagrass food

A ‘snowbird’ great white shark is making its way across Florida coast

Great White Shark — Courtesy: Shutterstock — Martin Prochazkacz A great white shark has been located off the coast of Florida and is making its way through the Middle Keys. It is believed she could be headed toward the Tampa Bay area in her “snowbird”-like travels. “Sable” the great white shark was tagged by OCEARCH

Florida produces the smallest orange crop in over 75 years

Florida Orange Crop — Courtesy: Shutterstock — VAlekStudio The next family favorite grocery store item shoppers could see skyrocketing in price is Florida orange juice. A cold snap in the Sunshine State had the potential to do extreme damage to farms across Central Florida over the weekend. The low temperatures, close to freezing, are rare