Signs of springtime on the Treasure Coast: amorous alligators, spinning sharks and toxic toads. Warmer, wetter weather increases your chances of encountering these and other native and invasive wildlife that you (and your pets) may not wish to meet.
Here’s a rundown:
SHARKS
Whirling and twirling airborne in the surf line are spinner and blacktip sharks – so close in appearance that only scientists can tell the two species apart. And then there are other sharks around that you may not readily see – bulls, hammerheads, tigers and, in offshore waters, great whites.
“Sharks start mobilizing as water temperatures creep into the lower 70s,’ says Dr. Matt Ajemian, assistant research professor at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute in Fort Pierce.
“There’s a very rich diversity of shark species along the Treasure Coast.”
Ajemian’s tips for staying out of trouble with sharks: go in the water in groups; avoid swimming at dusk and dawn when sharks are most active; and avoid areas where people are actively fishing.
“Most of the time, [sharks] are nearby, but they have other things on their minds besides humans,” the scientist said. “Be respectful of these animals. What they’re doing, they’ve been doing a million years.”
ALLIGATORS
About 1.3 million of these toothy reptiles live in Florida’s freshwater lakes, ponds, swamps, canals and slow-moving rivers. Warming spring weather boosts their metabolism, and they become more active and visible looking for prey – and for love.
According to scientists with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, early April is alligator courtship season, with mating occurring in May and June. Like sharks, gators are most active between dusk and dawn, but you’ll often see them basking in the sun.
Never feed gators; keep your distance and keep your pets leashed and away from waterways because gators frequently mistake them for food.
Fatal attacks on humans are rare in Florida, but last spring a 12-footer killed a Davie woman as she walked her dogs at a lakeside park near her home.
CANE TOADS
These ugly, non-native amphibians thrive in the warmer, wetter weather of spring and pose a serious poisoning hazard to pets that try to bite or eat them.
Scientists from the Fish and Wildlife Commission say the toads’ toxin can kill your pet within 15 minutes without proper treatment. If you suspect your dog or cat got hold of one, look for symptoms such as frantic, disoriented behavior, seizures and foaming at the mouth. Then rinse toxins forward out of the mouth with a hose for ten minutes, making sure not to direct water down the throat. Wipe the animal’s gums and tongue with a dish towel to get rid of the milky, white toxin. Then get to a veterinarian as quickly as possible.
State wildlife officials say the best way to protect pets is to keep an eye on them at night when the toads are most active. Cut your lawn regularly; fill in holes around your house; trim shrubbery; remove debris; and keep pets and their food indoors at night.
Cane toads, otherwise known as bufo or marine toads, were introduced to Florida decades ago to rid sugarcane fields of insects. It didn’t work and now the exotics eat native species of frogs and toads.