Alika The Laysan Albatross With Today’s Reminder That Birds Are Dinosaurs—sound On!

Walking between the rolling clay hills at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona, you can stumble onto a scene that looks like a lumberjack went mad. But this wasn’t the work of an axe or saw. Over 200 million years ago, fallen trees washed into an ancient river system and were buried quickly enough that oxygen was cut off and decay slowed. Minerals, absorbed into the porous wood over thousands of years, crystallized and replaced the organic material forming what we call petrified wood. The crystals are hard and brittle, fracturing easily when subjected to stress. Over time, the still buried petrified trees broke like glass rods – giving the appearance today of logs cut with a chainsaw. Photo by Jacob Holgerson, National Park Service.

What is Climate?

Climate is a long-term state that helps us predict our weather. For example, Florida’s climate isn’t going to be anything like Alaska’s. We know, as Floridians, that our climate here is sub-tropical. Our proximity to the equator and the fact that we are almost completely surrounded by water means that we typically have warmer, wetter weather. Climate is long-term and weather is short-term. Even though Florida can get the occasional cold front and thus cold weather, we know that it will eventually give way to warmer weather. Our tropical climate here in Florida is the reason we can go swimming in December.

What is climate change?

Climate change typically refers to the Earth’s total climate. Since climate is such a long-term, broad concept, it can take a lot of things and a really long time to drastically change it. However, the effects of climate change can be felt as they gradually increase overtime. For example, there were more named storms in 2020 than in any previous recorded year.

What is causing climate change?

Historically, Earth’s climate has always gradually changed over time. What’s new is the rate at which our climate is changing. Climate scientists believe this rapid change is due to the massive increase in burning fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution. Burning fossil fuels for energy to power our homes, jobs, and cars releases gas into the atmosphere. The same atmosphere that traps air for us to breathe has been trapping the increased amounts of fossil fuels which is causing a massive shift in how we experience climate and weather.

What can I do?

Learning is always the first step. Making educated decisions for yourself and your family is the best way to move forward in any given scenario. Climate change is no different. Take the time to learn more and share the knowledge. Pasted below is a list of reliable resources on climate change.

NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-climate-change-k4.html

United Nations (UN): https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/climate-change/

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/climate/climate-change-impacts

Check out part 1 of our Climate Change interview with Coral Springs Commissioner Nancy Metayer https://anchor.fm/snc-wild/episodes/Interview-with-Commissioner-Metayer-Part--I-eqtv93

I am part of a club at my collage where we help to educate others on reducing their water and energy waste! Follow us on Instagram at chicogreencampus for more stuff like this!

Sometimes humans are just the best! A very good (and brave) Samaritan brought this eastern diamondback rattlesnake into the hospital after it was hit by a car. Look at this beautiful angry serpent!

That head wound looked pretty concerning so this baby went for a CT scan to assess the damage to its skull and soft tissue.

It might seem crazy that this wild snake could survive a tire to the head, but rattlesnakes are incredibly tough critters. Their heads are so muscular that when they’re struck by a car they can often survive with minimal damage to the bony structures of the head. In this case, the trauma from the tire forced those impressive facial muscles through the skin without breaking any cranial bones. Fortunately, an incredibly skilled exotics veterinarian was able to surgically repair the damage. Here it is after surgery!

This baby did great after the procedure and recovered beautifully. After several weeks in a wildlife rehabilitation facility, this rattlesnake was well enough to be released into the wild. You gotta love a happy ending! I know venomous snakes can get a bad rap, but just because they’re a little scary doesn’t mean they don’t deserve our love and respect.

SNC Staff took a stroll through one of our local parks, Tall Cypress, and spotted Beauty Berry and Red Lichen. It’s important now more than ever to immerse ourselves in nature for improved mental health. Look in your area for local parks and nature centers that are accessible to the public. Remember to stay safe and healthy. 

Tall Cypress was destined to be redeveloped into real estate until a Coral Springs High School Club called Save What’s Left began advocating for the area’s preservation and safety. The City of Coral Springs and Broward County through joint collaboration agreed to preserve and maintain the area. A phenomenal feat accomplished by teenagers. Remember anything is possible when you work together and never doubt the capability of youth!

A wild water snake in our wetland

Ancient sea bottom exposed along a modern seaside rocky platform. This immense amount of fossilized shells is preserved in ~250 million year old sea sediments which would have been a feeding grounds for all these bivalves.

South coast, NSW, Australia.

A Eurasian Collared Dove built a nest in our yard

Here’s Wally, our resident American Alligator. Alligators are reptiles, which means they are cold blooded. Cold blooded animals, or ectotherms, rely on the environment to control their internal body temperatures. Unlike humans, alligators don’t have bodily functions to warm themselves up when they are cold.

In order to get warm, reptiles like to sunbathe, just like Wally is doing in this photo. Any Floridian who has seen a gator outside of the water, has probably been witness to the gator trying to warm themselves up too. 

As of September, the Sawgrass Nature Center and Wildlife Hospital has treated over 800 wild animals. This is a 20% increase from last year’s total intakes. While we can’t be completely sure, we assume the increase is due to other local nature centers and wildlife hospitals closing down and redirecting traffic to us, as well as COVID-19 causing more people to stay close to home. 

The more time people spend at home, the more time they have to notice all the native wildlife running around their backyards.