Bignose Shark Carcharhinus altimus This plain grey shark has a broad, bluntly pointed snout with prominent nostril flaps, hence its name. It mostly lives off shore, eating bony fish and other elasmobranch (smaller sharks and rays) from near the sea floor. Because of its deep water habitat, i
Danger to Humans Although this shark is large, it poses
Native Flora Flora changes from macroalgae in fresh and brackish waters to seagrass and mangroves as salinity increases. The freshwater habitats of the Everglades are dominated by marsh and slough flora, however the flora changes moving downstream where the freshwater mixes with seawater. Tran
endangered species: a species in danger of becoming
Silvertip Shark Carcharhinus albimarginatus This streamline requiem shark tends to appear blue-gray from above, with a bronze sheen, paling to white below. The silvertip name comes from the white tips and borders on all of its fins. It averages between 6 and 8 feet long but can get to be alm
Danger to Humans The silvertip shark should be treated
Doctorfish Acanthurus chirurgus This pancake-shaped reef fish is blue-gray to brown colored with thin, dark bars down its sides. It is sometimes offered as a fresh catch locally, but can cause ciguatera poisoning in humans. Handle with care during an encounter because of the sharp spines hid
Danger to Humans An unwary human who tries to handle
Yellowtail Snapper Lutjanus chrysurus This common snapper prefers schooling in small groups in and around reefs in the Western Atlantic. It has a distinct yellow lateral line that starts off narrow near the eye and widens as it reaches the forked, yellow caudal fin. It has blue-ish or olive
Danger to Humans There have been reports of ciguatera
Bluntnose Stingray Dasyatis say This medium sized stingray (growing to 39 inches wide at most) has the classic rounded diamond shaped disc but a distinctively blunt snout, with a tail one and a half times its body length bearing a serrated venomous spine. It is yellowish to light gray on top
Danger to Humans The bluntnose stingray is non-aggressive
Atlantic Guitarfish Rhinobatos lentiginosus Guitarfish look somewhere between a shark and a ray, with the dorsal and caudal fins on the back half of its tubular body, and a narrow pectoral disc at its head. The Atlantic guitarfish is one of the smallest, growing to almost 30 inches, and gray
Danger to Humans The Atlantic guitarfish is considered
Bar Jack Caranx ruber The bar jack is a classically almond-shaped silvery fish with greyish-blue tints to it. It looks like other jacks, but gets its name from the distinguishing dark bar that runs down its back and into its caudal fin (tail), usually accompanied by a bright blue stripe. The
Danger to Humans The majority of cases of ciguatera
Black Grouper Mycteroperca bonaci This oblong reef fish has small eyes over a protruding lower jaw, and a continuous dorsal fin that leads back to its square caudal (tail) fin. It’s an olive gray color with dark blotches and bronze hexagonal shapes on its head and sides. Like most groupers,
Danger to Humans There have been reported cases of
In a new study published in PNAS, researchers have extracted the first ancient DNA from Caribbean parrots, which they compared with genetic sequences from modern birds. Working with fossils and archaeological specimens, they showed that two species thought to be endemic to particular islands were on
only native parrots in the region not in imminent danger
