Aquatic Animals

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, FWC Are Going After Manatee Riders

Depending on where you come down on the whole animal-rights thing, you probably watched the video of Florida's finest d-bags jumping onto some innocent manatees with something between shock and rage. This week we posted the vid, some dumpster-grade Jackassery courtesy of two Cocoa Beach brainiacs. T ... More >>

Florida Woman Illegally Rides Manatee Like a Horse in Siesta Key Waters

People can't seem to stop being stupid and treating manatees like they're playthings to jump on top of and ride like a horse. Just a day after two dolts jumped on top of a mother manatee and her calf, comes an WFLA report of a woman leaping on a manatee and trying to ride it like that kid does the ... More >>

Florida Men Cannonball Onto Manatees, Post It On YouTube

A couple of Cocoa Beach yokels made the conscious decision to lure a mother manatee and her calf close to the water's edge, and then cannonballed into them, because DERPY DERPY DERP IT'S HIGH LARIOUS. Then they posted the video of them slamming into the animals on the YouTube. Because this ... More >>

Seismic Airgun Testing Will Kill or Injure 138,500 Whales and Dolphins If Allowed

If companies are allowed to use seismic airgun testing to search for and study oil and gas deposits in the Atlantic Ocean, 138,500 whales and dolphins will be harmed or killed -- and that's according to the government's own estimate. In addition, thousands of animals could have their hearing impaire ... More >>

Great White Shark Spotted in Florida Waters; Man Jumps Into Water to Take Pictures of It

Either great white sharks love the warm waters of Florida or we're just superdelicious, because another one has been spotted swimming around our neck of the woods like it's all good. See also: -Great White Sharks Spotted in Florida Waters -Fishermen Catch Great White Shark Off Florida Coast (VIDEO) ... More >>

Great White Shark Caught Off Fort Lauderdale Shore

Scientists and oceanographers say great white sharks are a rarity in Florida. In related news: A fourth great white shark has been spotted in Florida waters since January. In this case, it was right in our backyard. See also: -Great White Sharks Spotted in Florida Waters -Fishermen Catch Great Whi ... More >>

Manatee Death Toll Has Already Surpassed 2012 Numbers

Manatees have been dying at a record pace in Florida this year, threatening their overall population. in just the first three months of 2013 alone, the number of sea cow deaths have already surpassed all of 2012. See also: -Manatees Dying Off Both Florida Coasts; Scientists Trying to Figure Ou ... More >>

Fishermen Catch Great White Shark Off Florida Coast (VIDEO)

With all the sharks appearing so close to Florida shores in the past few weeks, including two great whites swimming 15 miles off the shores of Jacksonville Beach and hordes of sharks riding the waves off Palm Beach, it stands to reason that shark and man would eventually clash. And they finally did ... More >>

Manatees Dying Off Both Florida Coasts; Scientists Trying to Figure Out Why

Scientists have been working diligently to figure why manatees have started to die at an alarming rate lately. While Red Tide -- which is basically blooms of poisonous algae called Karenia brevis that is deadly to fish and other sea life -- off the coast of southwest Florida has killed roughly 180 ... More >>

Stranded Pygmy Whales Euthanized

And now for your bimonthly dose of bummer whale news: On Sunday, a whale and her calf had beached themselves at Jensen Beach, just north of Waveland Beach in St. Lucie County. Beachgoers spotted the whales in the water shortly before they beached themselves. The pair were identified as pygmy sper ... More >>

Alleged Manatee Molester Cuddles With Animal, Lets Kids Ride It

Last October we told you about Ana Gloria Garcia-Gutierrez, the Pinellas County woman who was arrested for hopping on top of a manatee and riding it like it was a horse. See also: -Accused Manatee Molester Is on the Loose in St. Petersburg -Manatee Molester Ana Gloria Garcia-Gutierrez Arrested ... More >>

Hundreds of Manatees Find Refuge From the Cold Near FPL Plant

Merry Christmas, South Florida! It's 304 manatees! The recent cold snap forced hundreds of the sea cows to the FPL plant located east of State Road 7 right off Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The herd sought refuge from the suddenly chilly weather in the plant's discharge of war ... More >>

Sperm Whale Riders Being Sought by Feds

On Monday, we told you about the 40-foot sperm whale that washed ashore in Deerfield Beach. Turns out, a couple of dudes were jumping on top of and riding the whale as it died off the shore of Pompano Beach. And now a federal investigation has been launched to find the unidentified men. Snapsho ... More >>

Giant Sperm Whales And Other Weird Things Washed Ashore: 8-Foot Lego Men, Giant Eye Balls, And More!

Weird? Yes. But there's been weirder. A few days ago, the carcass of a 40-foot sperm whale -- open-mouthed and oozing -- beached along Deerfield Beach's shore, and the locals got all huffy and melodramatic over the remnants of this mammoth oceanic creature. Some local conservationists wanted to k ... More >>

Mayan Beach Sand Dune Bulldozed; Sea Turtles Left Without Nesting Ground

Sad news today for South Florida environmentalists, sea turtles, and Mother Earth: After a circuitous and arguably shady legal battle, Fort Lauderdale's Mayan Beach Sand Dune was plowed over at some point in the past 48 hours. Even though an August court decision sealed the dune's fate, the destruct ... More >>

Five of SeaWorld's Sordid Scandals: Whale Slaves, a "Surgically Opened" Scrotum, and More!

Yesterday we told you about Jillian Thomas, the 8-year-old girl who was feeding dolphins at SeaWorld when one of the animals bit her arm. Don't worry; she was left with three dime-sized puncture wounds and an unbelievably cool anecdote for the rest of her life. While a dolphin biting an 8-year- ... More >>

Dolphin Bites Girl in SeaWorld

An eight year-old girl was happily feeding dolphins at SeaWorld's Dolphin Cove when one of them lunged from out of the water and bit her hand. Jillian Thomas, who was visiting the SeaWorld Orlando park with her parents from Georgia, was lined up with other children, feeding the dolphins from a food ... More >>

Manatee Molester Ana Gloria Garcia-Gutierrez's Family Doesn't Understand What All the Fuss Is About

The family of Ana Gloria Garcia-Gutierrez, the 53-year-old St. Petersburg woman arrested for molesting a manatee, is none too fired up about cops arresting her after she committed a crime. Police arrested Gutierrez at her job in a St. Petersburg Sears over the weekend on a warrant for violating ... More >>

Petition to Save Mayan Beach Sand Dune Racks Up Signatures; Will DEP Take Notice?

In three days, more than 480 people have signed a petition to save the Mayan Beach Sand Dune in Fort Lauderdale from destruction. Spearheaded by the Sea Turtle Oversight Protection, the petition is the latest development in a battle between developers and environmentalists that has stretched fo ... More >>

Manatee Molester Turns Herself In to Authorities

Yesterday we told you about a lady who tried dry-humping riding a manatee like a horse and then disappeared into the ether. Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies were not amused and announced that they were on the lookout for the manatee molester. "Go ride a Jet-Ski. Don't use animals. She needs to b ... More >>

Accused Manatee Molester Is On the Loose In St. Petersburg

Pinellas County Sheriff's deputies are asking the public to help them catch an accused manatee molester. An unidentified woman is wanted for violating the Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act, which states that it is illegal for people to "intentionally or negligently" attempt to "molest, harass, or distu ... More >>

California Ban on Foie Gras: No More Fatty Duck Livers Allowed (Floridians, However, Feel Free to Eat Up)

Foie gras-loving Californians better eat up over the next month. Starting July 1, the state ban on foie gras (fattened liver from a duck or goose) will officially take effect. The law was passed in 2004 but included time for restaurants and the state's lone foie gras producer to adjust.Animal rights ... More >>

Precious Red and Pink Corals Need Protection Under CITES

In last week's cover story, we looked at why reef-building corals are being plundered from the South Pacific and sent to the shores of Florida. But the curio trade isn't the only industry fueling the death of coral. For centuries, jewelry makers have harvested precious red a ... More >>

The World's Coral Reefs Are Being Decimated, All for a Few Gaudy Trinkets

Nature Conservancy, Surfrider Foundation Hosting Meeting Thursday on Marine Sanctuary Management

Care about the health of local waters? Got beef with how the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary is being managed? Don't want to see the Atlantic turned into a barren, polluted wasteland?Then pay attention to what The Nature Conservancy and the Surfrider Foundation are doing this week. 

Seven Florida Coral Species "Extremely Likely to go Extinct," Warns National Marine Fisheries

Florida's coral reefs have been on the decline for decades, and it looks like things could get a whole lot worse. Seven species of coral found in Florida and Caribbean waters "are extremely likely to go extinct" before the year 2100, and five of those species are the most "imperiled o ... More >>

If Manatees can Hear Boats, Why Don't They Move When One's Coming?

Last week, Sea World took in an approximately 1,700 pound manatee that had been bashed up by a speeding boat. It's the seventh sea cow taken in by the facility this year alone, and regulations to stop boats from hitting the sweet morons have been debated, sort of.A new study suggests, however, that ... More >>

Corals Can Get Herpes; Valtrex Not an Option

​Coral reefs have taken a beating in recent decades. Ask someone who dove off the Florida coast in the '70s and he'll tell you the reefs today are a shadow of what they once were.Overfishing, reckless coastal development, pollution, careless boaters, and human plundering have all had a p ... More >>

Florida Backs Away From Shark Fin Ban

​While researching for this week's review, I found resources at Oceana.org, a non-profit international organization that strives to help protect the ocean and its creatures. On its blog, I found this piece, following a Fort Lauderdale event:On a more serious note, the evening focused on sharks an ... More >>

Suck Da Heads at Shuck-N-Dive for Mardi Gras

How to Eat Crawfish - PSA from Loyola Motion Design on Vimeo."It's early in the season for crawfish," said Clif Smith of Crawfish Company of Central Florida. "We're very busy and could run a little short," he told Clean Plate Charlie in between taking orders for tomorrow's Mardi Gras festivities. De ... More >>

Save the Turtles: The Misguided, Misinformed, and Misdirected Battle for Hillsboro Lighthouse

​​All they wanted was some darkness for the baby sea turtles. But what started out as a simple request for protection of the endangered animals has ballooned into a yearslong battle among local advocates, the U.S. Coast Guard, and numerous agencies in which the original message has been lost in ... More >>

Eating Whales and Horses In Iceland

​Two summers ago I accompanied my friend James "The Amazing" Randi on a speaking tour of northern Europe. We visited Scandinavia and the Baltics, and enjoyed a quick southerly jaunt to the Netherlands. Our final engagement was in Reykjavik, Iceland, in the middle of the Atlantic.Reykjavik is a mod ... More >>

Hoofing Emperor Penguins Return In "Happy Feet Two"

Reminder From Broward County: Don't Mow Over Sea Cows

snuzzy.comDon't run over manatees with your spaceship either.​Due to new rules from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the impending manatee season in Broward County, the Natural Resources Planning and Management Division would like to remind you not to slice up sea cows wit ... More >>

Mayor Jack Seiler's Curt Email Response to Sea-Turtle Activists: "Your Facts Are Wrong"

S.T.O.P.Roadkill baby turtles​"MAYOR SEILER HATES BABY TURTLES!" That's a popular refrain these days among advocates for sea turtles on Fort Lauderdale's beaches. Around this time of year, eggs buried by mother turtles on the beach hatch, releasing inch-long baby turtles who need to find their way ... More >>

Tea Party Hates Manatees, Says Protecting Them Is "Against the Bible"

gatewaypundit.comManatees: Work of the devil.​Jesus apparently hated manatees, according to a new Tea Party platform circulating around Florida.Originating from the Citrus County Tea Party Patriots group, teabaggers are crying about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's intent to place restrictions ... More >>

Hideous Giant Squid Found Off the Coast of Jensen Beach

howstuffworks.com​Ever wonder what a 23-foot-long disgusting giant squid looks like?Absolutely repulsive is what it looks like.We got a hold of a photo from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, taken somewhere between the discovery of the squid off the coast of Jensen Beach, ... More >>

Sharks Attack; Fishermen and Scientists Battle

Florida Otters May Look Cute, but Lately They've Been on the Attack

​Florida's otters are up to no good.First, in March, a 90-year-old man in Venice, Florida, was brutally mauled by a rabid otter, which came streaking from the bushes of an otherwise peaceful street like a cute, button-nosed demon. The otter went for the man's foot and brought him crashing to the g ... More >>

Delray Man Chops Tail Off Beached Sperm Whale; Can You Eat That?

Photo: MicheleEve.comHogan tried to make off with this trophy from the whale that washed up in Delray Beach.​There are many fine restaurants in Delray Beach, but it seems one resident, Chris Hogan, prefers to see what the ocean surf is serving. This morning, it delivered an eight-foot sperm whale. ... More >>

A Night With Sea Turtle Hatchling Rescue in Fort Lauderdale

​Here is a heartbreaking video from YouTube, posted by an activist group known as Sea Turtle Oversight Protection. It's called "Ten Minutes in the Night of a Rescue Volunteer." The date of the clip is the evening of July 10, and a map shows the location where it was shot: on the sand behind the Sh ... More >>

Chillax, Bird-Watchers! Those Dead Shearwaters Are Not BP's Fault.

Flickr: Callocephalon PhotographyThis is what a shearwater looks like when it's alive.​For those fretting about the effect of the Gulf spill on seabirds, fret not for the greater shearwaters. Yes, some 35 of those majestic birds have been found dead along the South Florida coast, from Delray to C ... More >>

Chef Test: Boil and Crack Boxes of Live, Squirming Lobsters

Photo by Flicker user LallCould you crack these suckers while they're still alive?​Patty Canedo is a pastry chef at a famed, private country club on Palm Beach and writes weekly about her kitchen exploits.Chef de Cuisine Luke is struggling with boxes and sweating, so I run over to offer help. "You ... More >>

Two-time Sea Turtle Poacher Bruce Bivins Sentenced

Photo by Flickr user anej1030​For some old-timers in Riviera Beach, the start of any date out with your woman begins with sea turtle eggs. You poach them, sprinkle salt on their papery skin, and then eat the aphrodisiacs in one bite. Back when I first wrote about that nasty habit back in 2002, cop ... More >>

George LeMieux Sides With Charter Fishermen; Asks for Looser Restrictions on Catch Limits

In a post yesterday that's part of our Panning for Gold series, I made a crack about how it's rather foolish to trust a charter fisherman's hunch about the sustainability of fish population -- not just for the obvious fox-running-the-hen-house reasons. Mainly, it's because there's a much more relia ... More >>

Dolphin Experts Weigh In; Any Gorilla-Killers in Lake Worth Mayoral Race?

Dr. Rene Varela​ The local community of marine mammal experts is a relatively small one, so the Juice has been asking some high-level folks in the scientific community to weigh in on the recent controversy surrounding veterinarian Dr. Rene Varela, candidate for mayor of Lake Worth. One expert, wh ... More >>

An Ocean of Art

Life is Better Down Where It's Wetter

A Really Good Reefer Joint