Floridian Nature

The history of the Sebastian Inlet area goes back to the end of the last ice age. The barrier islands formed from sandbars off the coast of the mainland. As vegetation took hold on the sandbars, animals moved in, followed by the first human inhabitants, the Paleo hunters. The Ais Indians were more recent inhabitants of the barrier islands. They were a tribe of hunters and gatherers who lived off the bounty of the land and sea. By 1760, all of the Ais Indians were gone. Like the other natives of Florida, they succumbed to European diseases and mistreatment. Sebastian Inlet State Park is a Florida State Park located 10 miles south of Melbourne Beach and 6 miles north of Vero Beach, Florida. The park lies on both sides of the Sebastian Inlet, which forms the boundary between Brevard and Indian River counties. The land for the park was acquired by the state of Florida in 1971. In 2006, it was the sixth most visited state par...

Florida has six endangered reptile species , eleven threatened species and seven species of special concern for a total of  twenty  four reptiles at risk in Floridian nature .  Reptiles have been around for 300 million years, and during the age of the dinosaurs, they ruled the Earth. Some 6,500 species of reptiles still thrive today. There are more than 8,000 species of reptiles on the planet, and the live on every continent except Antarctica ."Cold-blooded" is not the best way to describe reptiles- they get their body heat from external sources. Reptiles cannot regulate their body temperature internally as humans do. Reptiles are among the longest-lived species on the planet. For example, large tortoises such as the Aldabra tortoise can live for more than 150 years. Alligators can live nearly 70 years. Ball pythons, a popular type of pet snake, can live up to 40 years  American crocodiles  are endangered in...