Loggerhead Marinelife Center

Seven species of sea turtles are threatened or endangered because of human interactions. Loggerhead Marinelife Center rehabilitates adult sea turtles and hatchlings in the Sea Turtle Hospital at 14200 U.S. Hwy 1, in Juno Beach. The center also has a research laboratory.

While visiting the outdoor hospital listen to the Hospital Interpreters explain the life of the sea turtles and why they were brought to the hospital for rehab. If a turtle can’t be released into the wild because of a permanent injury they’re put into a long-term care facility.

The powerful jaws of the Loggerhead are used to crush their prey. They eat crabs, jellyfish, and mollusks. Female Loggerheads reach maturity at 35 years of age.

Green Sea Turtles reach adulthood by the age of twenty-four when the females start laying eggs. She can lay one hundred eggs at a time, and it takes 2 months for the eggs to hatch. Only 1 in 1,000 reach adulthood. Their diet consists of sea grasses and sea algae.

Forty species of coral inhabit the coral reefs in Florida. The Coral Reef Exhibit displays corals, fish, and invertebrates that dwell in the exhibit.

Shrubs and trees are part of the mangrove ecosystem. The Mango Shore Exhibit describes how important the mangroves are to the ecosystem. Fish, snakes, tree crabs, and snakes inhabit the exhibit.

A combination of 5 main tanks and 9 quarantine tanks are on display at the center. Invasive and native species of fish inhabit the tanks. I highly recommend visiting the center a lot to see and do. Hours of operation on the website. Free admission donations accepted.

Smithsonian Marine Station

 

 

 

 

Smithsonian Marine Station is located at 420 Seaway Drive in Fort Pierce. Over twenty coral reefs on display at the Ecosystems Exhibit. Three species of Seahorses found in the Indian River Lagoon and an aquarium in the marine station for farming Seahorses. A female Seahorse deposits one thousand eggs at a time into the male pouch. The eggs incubated and delivered nine to forty-five days later.

Seagrass, Mangrove and Hardbottom Ecosystems make up the Indian River Lagoon Habitats. Over four thousand species were found in the lagoon as well as thirty-eight endangered and rare species including the Manatee (Endangered), Green Sea Turtle (Endangered) and Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Threatened).

A Sand Dollar, Sea Biscuit not as flat as a Sea Urchin and a Sea Egg Urchin found in seagrass areas and an assortment of shells on display. Red lionfish a highly venomous invasive fish first introduced to the United States from the Indo-Pacific region in the 1980s possibly released in the wild from home aquariums.

 

 

 

 

Step outside to admire “The Partnership” a sculpture by artists Patrick Cochran and Ginny Piech Street. Have a picnic underneath a pavilion or walk along the path by the Indian River Lagoon. Admission prices and hours of operation on the website.