Florida
Dozens of snakes released in Florida in effort to boost their population
Florida wildlife officials recently released 41 eastern indigo snakes in a rural region along the Apalachicola River in the Panhandle in an effort to help restore the ecosystem. (Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida wildlife experts recently released dozens of eastern indigo snakes into the wild with the hopes of restoring native ecosystems.
The Nature Conservancy, in coordination with several groups, took part in the release that happened in conservation lands along the Apalachicola River in the Florida Panhandle.
The eastern indigo snakes are designated as a threatened species and is the longest native snake in North America, growing up to eight feet long.
Biologists say the species disappeared from large stretches of the Southeast in the 1980s but could be on the verge of turning the corner with recent conservation efforts.
“With increasing numbers of snakes released over time and successful reproduction, the indigo is gaining momentum to return to the landscape where it belongs,” Michele Elmore, a biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a statement.
The 41 snakes were bred and raised for two years at a facility operated by the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens.
MASSIVE BURMESE PYTHON CAUGHT SLITHERING THROUGH SWAMPS OF SOUTH FLORIDA
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission estimates that the bluish-black-colored snake loses more than 5% of its habitat every year due to various causes, including fragmentation, where a road or other development splits its territory.
The snakes released into the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve are just a few years away from being able to reproduce and could live longer than 20 years.
According to biologists, they are not dangerous to people or pets and have a diet that consists of small animals, including other snakes.
“This project continues to be one of the gold standard conservation projects in Florida, and we are grateful for the many partnerships that contribute to our mission, values and shared goals,” Brad O’Hanlon, a reptile and amphibian conservation coordinator at the FWC, stated.
UNIVERSITY RELEASES ‘SPY’ PYTHONS IN EVERGLADES TO BETTER UNDERSTAND INVASIVE SPECIES
The Nature Conservancy group says during the past year several snakes from previous releases have been spotted, including two wild-born hatchlings from released offspring.
“With the recent news of the indigo hatchling discovery at ABRP, we can see that our combined efforts are paving the way toward the ultimate goal of a self-sustaining wild indigo population,” Dr. James Bogan Jr., the director of Central Florida Zoo’s Orianne Center for Indigo Conservation, stated.
Researchers conduct surveys on foot and with the help of trail cameras located near burrows and other high-traveled areas.
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service says it plans to reintroduce 600 snakes in Alabama and Florida as part of the restoration program.
Florida
Area to watch for tropical development in Gulf to bring downpours to drought-stricken Florida | Latest Weather Clips | FOX Weather
Area to watch for tropical development in Gulf to bring downpours to drought-stricken Florida
While this area to watch for tropical development may not actually become tropical, it will definitely bring rain to Florida, which desperately needs it. The system is likely to bring the most significant rain to the Florida panhandle down south to Tampa, but the entire state can expect some moisture through midweek next week.
Gulf system to bring downpours to Florida
FOX 13 Meteorologist Jim Weber is continuing to watch an area in the Gulf that is expected to bring much-needed rain to Florida this weekend. He said the system will likely drift to the north and northwest and will linger before heading to the northeast. He said to get a tropical depression, or a tropical storm there needs to be winds and a closed low and he is not seeing that in the models yet. Weber is also tracking a system off the coast of Africa that has a 10% chance of developing over the next week. He says it will likely enter a hostile environment and dissipate.
TAMPA, Fla. – Forecasters are tracking a broad disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast that could bring much-needed rain to parched communities this weekend.
Gulf tropical development potential
What we know:
Models continue to indicate there is a potential for an area of low pressure to form over the northeast Gulf off the west coast of Florida over the weekend.
The National Hurricane Center says an area in the Gulf has a 30% chance of tropical development over the next seven days.
Models a shifting away from the forecast of the system moving over the state and off the coast of the Carolinas. Models are now indicating a more likely scenario that it lingers in the Gulf over the weekend and may drift more to the northwest near the Florida Panhandle or Louisiana coast. Early next week conditions look like they will become less conducive and may prohibit much development. Regardless of whether it organizes, the system will bring tropical downpours and increased moisture across Florida and parts of the Southeast.
FOX 13 Meteorologist Jim Weber states we are close to 7.50″ below average on our rainfall in Tampa for the year. A weak area of low pressure or tropical system can be beneficial in helping to make up for the rainfall deficit we have been experiencing. Drought conditions continue over much of the state of Florida. If this system ends up drifting more westward, it would limit the total amount of rainfall and the highest totals would be along the immediate west coast.
Atlantic tropical development potential
A tropical wave southeast of the Cabo Verde Islands remains disorganized.
It is moving west-northwest and, according to the NHC, there is a chance for slow development over the next day or two. By the weekend it is expected to move into less conducive conditions and Saharan dust will begin to affect this wave, limiting its moisture. The time for this system to develop is very limited and will not develop after the weekend.
The NHC is giving it a 10% chance of developing.
Weather factors and storm names
What we don’t know:
Officials cannot yet confirm if the disturbance will overcome environmental hurdles like land interaction, wind shear and dry air. Computer models remain uncertain on how much this system will develop over the waters of the Gulf. If it stays over the warm waters of the Gulf longer, it may give it additional time to organize. Interactions with land and wind shear will likely pose obstacles in further development.
To become a tropical system, it must develop a defined circulation with organized thunderstorms. If it reaches maximum sustained winds of 39 mph, it will become a tropical storm and be named Bertha.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13Meteorologist Jim Weber, the National Hurricane Center tropical weather outlooks, as well as forecast computer models.
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