April 17, 2020 - ANERR
Read MoreOne of the Florida locations that we visit each year is the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve, commonly just referred to as ANERR. The Reserve is located in Eastpoint, Florida, at the mainland end of the causeway that leads out to St. George Island. They have very nice displays with information about the local coastal habitat. They also have tanks containing some of the local fish and other creatures found along the coast.
This is a Horseshoe Crab. It can grow up to two feet long, with females being larger than males. A female can lay up to 120,000 eggs each season. Many shorebirds depend on these eggs to help them gain weight for their migration trip to the Arctic.Several tanks display fish found in the local area. This is a Permit. It is a small one, probably less than six inches long, but a sign by the tank said they can grow to be 35 inches long. Wikipedia, however, says they can get to be 48 inches long. One of the staff members told me that young Permit are found in Apalachicola Bay, but larger Permit are rarely caught there. That probably means the Bay is a great place for them to grow big enough to protect themselves, and then they move out into deeper water.
The Atlantic Spadefish can also grow to 35 inches long. It is found along the Atlantic coast of the United States, in the Gulf of Mexico, and in the Caribbean. Juvenile Spadefish stay in shallow water, but adults can be found in offshore schools of up to 500 individuals. They are popular sportfish because they put up a good fight, and they are good eating.
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