E. Hance Ellington

From butterflies to lizards and from sharks to seabirds, wildlife exhibit tactics to survive the impacts of tropical cyclones, also known as hurricanes, cyclones, or typhoons depending on where they occur. Some species seek refuge during the storm by moving, some remain in place and ride it out, and others move longer distances, avoiding the main impacts of the storm altogether. Tropical cyclones can have direct impacts on wildlife (e.g. mortality) but can also have indirect effects by altering resources and habitat, with downstream impacts on abundance and recruitment. Using examples from across taxa and ecosystems, we explore the pathways by which tropical cyclones can influence wildlife populations and communities. We describe tactics demonstrated by wildlife that enable them to survive the immediate impacts of the storm, as well as the longer‐term impacts after the storm. We give examples of tropical cyclones as a selective pressure and as a facilitator for the introduction of invasive species. We also describe how tropical cyclones may provide a net benefit to some native species. The ecological and evolutionary impacts of tropical cyclones on wildlife can be complex, as they are often intertwined with concurrent pressures from land‐use change, human development, and climate change. As the frequency of intense tropical cyclones is predicted to increase globally, identifying the mechanisms by which wildlife cope with such disturbances can aid in understanding and mitigating the impacts of climate change on wildlife.

There are many perspectives and misconceptions regarding coyotes (Canis latrans) in Florida. Some people enjoy seeing and hearing coyotes and consider them important components of Florida ecosystems. Others consider them a nuisance or a threat. This publication provides basic information about coyotes and specifically addresses questions that we are commonly asked about coyotes. The intended audience is anyone who is concerned about or interested in learning more about coyotes in Florida.

Information on a species’ population dynamics, such as changes in abundance and distribution, can be used to identify declining populations and initiate conservation efforts and protections. For the Ornate Chorus Frog (Pseudacris ornata), anecdotal observations of local extirpation and population declines have been noted, but trends in its range-wide population status are generally unknown. We used 2227 verified records of Ornate Chorus Frog presence from across the species’ distribution, grouped into 407 populations, and a modified Cormack-Jolly-Seber survival analysis to estimate the probability that historical Ornate Chorus Frog populations persist in the year 2024. Our results suggested that > 36% of historical Ornate Chorus Frog populations are possibly extirpated (probability of persistence < 0.5) and that 33% of populations had a probability of persistence > 0.9. Many of these extant populations occurred in northwestern Florida, southeastern Alabama, and southern Georgia, USA. The probability of persistence was positively influenced by habitat suitability and mean winter precipitation and negatively influenced by urban imperviousness. Ornate Chorus Frogs in protected areas had a higher average probability of persistence compared to populations that were not in protected areas. Our study fills a knowledge gap by identifying regions where Ornate Chorus Frog populations are likely thriving and regions where they may be extinct.

This is a Florida wildlife factsheet dedicated to the Eastern Indigo Snake. This factsheet seeks to inform about the characteristics of this animal, the history of its presence in the state, its current distribution, biology and behavior. The objective is to inform general public about this species. Esta es una hoja informativa sobre la vida silvestre de Florida dedicada al serpiente índigo oriental. Esta ficha busca informar sobre las características de este animal, la historia de su presencia en el estado, su distribución actual, biología y comportamiento. El objetivo es informar al público en general sobre esta especie.

El objetivo de este documento es brindar información básica sobre el cangrejo terrestre azul en Florida, está dirigido a una audiencia general.

For prey, movement synchrony represents a potent antipredator strategy. Prey, however, must balance the costs and benefits of using conspecifics to mediate risk. Thus, the emergent patterns of risk-driven sociality depend on variation in space and in the predators and prey themselves. We applied the concept of predator–prey habitat domain, the space in which animals acquire food resources, to test the conditions under which individuals synchronize their movements relative to predator and prey habitat domains. We tested the response of movement synchrony of prey to predator–prey domains in two populations of ungulates that vary in their gregariousness and predator community: (i) elk, which are preyed on by wolves; and (ii) caribou, which are preyed on by coyotes and black bears. Prey in both communities responded to cursorial predators by increasing synchrony during seasons of greater predation pressure. Elk moved more synchronously in the wolf habitat domain during winter and caribou moved more synchronously in the coyote habitat domains during spring. In the winter, caribou increased movement synchrony when coyote and caribou domains overlapped. By integrating habitat domains with movement ecology, we provide a compelling argument for social behaviours and collective movement as an antipredator response. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The spatial–social interface: A theoretical and empirical integration’.

SNAPSHOT USA is a multicontributor, long‐term camera trap survey designed to survey mammals across the United States. Participants are recruited through community networks and directly through a website application (https://www.snapshot-usa.org/). The growing Snapshot dataset is useful, for example, for tracking wildlife population responses to land use, land cover, and climate changes across spatial and temporal scales. Here we present the SNAPSHOT USA 2021 dataset, the third national camera trap survey across the US. Data were collected across 109 camera trap arrays and included 1711 camera sites. The total effort equaled 71,519 camera trap nights and resulted in 172,507 sequences of animal observations. Sampling effort varied among camera trap arrays, with a minimum of 126 camera trap nights, a maximum of 3355 nights, a median 546 nights, and a mean 656 ± 431 nights. This third dataset comprises 51 camera trap arrays that were surveyed during 2019, 2020, and 2021, along with 71 camera trap arrays that were surveyed in 2020 and 2021. All raw data and accompanying metadata are stored on Wildlife Insights (https://www.wildlifeinsights.org/), and are publicly available upon acceptance of the data papers. SNAPSHOT USA aims to sample multiple ecoregions in the United States with adequate representation of each ecoregion according to its relative size. Currently, the relative density of camera trap arrays varies by an order of magnitude for the various ecoregions (0.22–5.9 arrays per 100,000 km²), emphasizing the need to increase sampling effort by further recruiting and retaining contributors. There are no copyright restrictions on these data. We request that authors cite this paper when using these data, or a subset of these data, for publication. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government.

¡Aprende más sobre los azulejos de garganta canela de Florida! La serie de hojas informativas sobre la vida silvestre de Florida se creó para brindar al público una introducción rápida y precisa a la vida silvestre de Florida, tanto nativa como invasiva. Esperamos que estos documentos inspiren a las personas a investigar la vida silvestre en sus propias comunidades y a comprender la asombrosa biodiversidad de la vida silvestre en el estado de Florida.

Learn more about Florida Sandhill Cranes! The Wildlife of Florida Factsheet series was created to provide the public with a quick, accurate introduction to Florida’s wildlife, including both native and invasive species. We hope these fact sheets inspire people to investigate wildlife in their own backyards and communities and understand the amazing biodiversity of wildlife in the state of Florida—in this case, the sandhill crane.

Learn more about Florida Eastern Bluebirds! The Wildlife of Florida Factsheet series was created to provide the public with a quick accurate introduction to Florida’s wildlife, including both native and invasive. We hope these factsheets inspire people to investigate wildlife in their own backyard and communities and understand the amazing biodiversity of wildlife in the state of Florida.