Ten Thousand Islands Wildlife Boat Tour

Posted on January 22, 2009
Filed Under Museums & tours | Leave a Comment

Posted by Sierra

“Ten Thousand Islands” sounds like a misnomer to me! Actually, it is. Located partially in Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge and partially in the third-largest national park in the lower 48, Everglades, there are more like 14,000-16,000. It depends on the tide. At high tide there are more, at low tide fewer.

There are many animals to see on the Ten Thousand Islands Wildlife Boat Tour. Here are a few
(asterisk denotes that we saw that particular animal):

* Bottlenose Dolphin: We saw two! They use echolocation in the dark water to find food. When a baby is born it is about 2 feet long. It can reach up to 9 feet long and 500 pounds. The dolphin can stay underwater for 7 minutes, although 2 minutes is more common.

* Vulture: There are two kinds of vultures, black vultures with black heads and turkey vultures with red heads.

* Cormorant: A cormorant is a bird that resembles an anhinga. There are a few differences: A) The cormorant has a longer neck and B) the cormorant grabs fish instead of spearing them.

* Snowy Egret: This bird has yellow feet. In the 1800s its feathers were very sought-after. It almost became endangered! Luckily, the snowy egret is saved now.

* Osprey: These birds nest in winter. The male and female take turns incubating the eggs. Ospreys are found on every continent except Antarctica. Florida has the largest concentration of ospreys. The female has a white chest with brown spots, the male has a solid white chest.

* Pelican: A pelican can hold 2-3 gallons of water.

Raccoon: Raccoons on the islands are smaller than ones on the mainland. They only weigh
about 2-3 pounds. Their hobbies include licking dew off leaves and stealing people’s water.

Manatee: Manatees are an endangered species. They are 9-14 feet long and can hold their breath for 20 minutes, although 2 minutes is more common. They are herbivores. Their closest relative is the elephant. They have similar skin, mouths, and 3-4 toenails. Eighty percent of manatees are identifiable by boating scars.

* Mosquito: There are 43 different kinds of mosquitoes in the Everglades. I can just picture a mosquito with a megaphone calling, “We have your RV surrounded. Come out unarmed, without bug swatters!”

Hawksbill Turtle: This turtle got its name from its pointed beak. The turtle weighs 90-130 pounds. It has no teeth. Tiger sharks, other fish, and humans eat adult turtles. Crabs, birds, and raccoons eat hatchlings.

So that’s the dynamic and wild ecosystem that is Ten Thousand Islands. My only questions is: who counted all those islands?

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