The Underwater Life of Wakulla Springs

Take an exciting look at one of the world's largest springs, Wakulla Springs in Florida. This video shows you the park's underwater creatures.

The Underwater Life of Wakulla Springs An even better piece of evidence is the top of a giant bison skull found on the Waccasassa River nearby. Embedded in the bone is what appears to be a broken spear point. Today, there are no elephants to tip their trunks into the ancient boil of Wakulla Springs. However, the recent dryness has produced a marvelous effect. The transparent water which must have amazed the Pleistocene hunters also amazes us. Peninsula Cooters seems suspended in nothing at all. A bowfin one of the more prehistoric looking predators patrols a bed of fresh water eel crest. Near the boil, the tremendous output of water moves the grass like a giant blow dryer. All of the aquatic vegetation is food for the plant eaters at Wakulla. Apple snails slide down the eel grass devouring the algae that coats the blades. In the vents of some small springs, blizzards of hollow snail shells swirl like popcorn. The limpkin provides plenty of empties. Striped bullet from the gulf can venture more than a hundred miles into fresh water streams. Like nature’s vacuum cleaners, there are wide mouths scrape the fuzz of algae from the eel grass. There are enormous schools crowd the main boil at Wakulla. Peninsula Cooters are busy stocking up on vegetation so they can relax and log in a little more time at the shell station. There is still one mega mammal that invades Florida’s rivers and springs. It is that distant cousin of the elephant, the Florida manatee. And it brings with it a mega appetite for plants. People once thought the manatee might be a solution to Florida’s aquatic weed problem. But there simply aren’t enough manatees to do the job. That manatee is an endangered species. When Florida’s coastal waters grow cold in the winter, manatees head for the 70- degree water of the springs. For more than a decade, no manatees resided at Wakulla Springs even though they are often seen in the lower part of the river. But then, in August of 1997, six manatees swam under the chain leek fence that crosses the river at the south end of the park and ended up in the spring. Included in the bunch was a cow with her young calf. The calf could be seen nursing from nipples in the pit of the mother’s arm. On the bottom of the river, male shell crackers have set up a nesting ground and are vying for mates. A flurry of activity signals the arrival of a female. The female is small like the others of her gender. Why has she come to this particular nest? Does she fancy the appearance of the male? Or does she admire the work he does in sweeping the silt from this tiny spot? We do not know, but within seconds, the female begins to spawn. The male follows her rhythmic movements and fertilizes her eggs. It is a private moment in a secret world and from it will come new life for the spring and new food for many predators. Everyone knows of the snapping turtle which is distributed so widely in eastern waters, a feared predator of fish. And even families of baby ducks. But what about this beast, he is the alligator snapping turtle, the largest fresh water turtle in the United States. With his massive head, he can weight 200 pounds. Meals for the alligator snapper are often taken by means of an amazing roost. On the floor of the reptiles mouth is a sliver of tissue that has the appearance of a tiny worm. And the turtle is cunning and how it presents this piece of bait to passing fish. The turtle’s massive body offers not the slightest twitch while the worm dances merrily on its stage. Hold still. Up above, a green-backed heron has discovered something useful, better to wage you a bit of bread on the chance of catching a fish then to make a meal of it. What appears to be a placid royal to some observers is unclosed inspection, a contest of techniques and a time to sheer wills. The purple gallinule cannot either fish in piece but has to surrender the price to a moorhen who has seen her from across the river. Predators like the various species of gar that live in the spring are always closed by. You wonder how many pairs of eyes are fixed on you at any given time waiting for an opportunity to get to know you better, so to speak. It is in this realm of opportunity that the alligator finds himself master and king. The rest of the food chain will funnel itself in the alligator’s direction one way or the other. And the massive reptile moves with the majestic certainty of this fact. The alligator’s powerful tail is his main propulsion. His legs are tact to his sides as he goes through a world of potential food items. Wakulla Springs has more gators per square inch than any other habitat a person is likely to explore. Wakulla is a place of hidden wonders and striking beauty. It has lured people for hundreds of years. And when you go there, it is accurate to say that just beyond the next bend is another breathtaking view or another mysterious creature even more fascinating than the ones you have already seen.