Lake Iamonia, Florida
Encyclopedia
Lake Iamonia is a large, subtropical prairie lake
in northern Leon County, Florida
, United States
created during the Pleistocene
epoch.
through submergence of land during glacial
retreat (a warming period) and emergence from the sea during glacial advancement (a cooling period). Though the ice sheet was Iamonia's appearance began to take shape during the Okefenokee terrace and shoreline period and was complete by the Wicomico terrace and shoreline event thousands of years later.
See: Leon County Pleistocene coastal terraces
from as far back as 23.6 Ma. Fossils of the bear-dog Amphicyon
and the dog-like Temnocyonines
have been uncovered at nearby sites. The Griscom Plantation Site, once located on Luna Plantation
, and on the south shore of Iamonia has produced fossils of the ruminant Leptomeryx
, the horse relatives Merychippus
and Parahippus leonensis
, and the ancient camel Oxydactylus
. Osbornodon iamonensis
(Osborn's dog), a forerunner of today's dog
, was named for the lake.
, of early Native Americans
from roughly 200 BCE to 750 AD
. It was within the Apalachee Province
from 1000 AD to the 1520s and later the lake would become home to the Seminole
s. Lake Iamonia is prounced "I-monia" and is named after a Seminole town “Hiamonee,” which was located on the banks of the Ochlockonee River
.
and is approximately 5,757 acres (23 km²) in size and is 7 miles (11 km) long and up to 2 miles (3 km) wide. It has a drainage basin of roughly 101 square miles (260 km).
County Road 12
runs along the northern part of the lake. Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy
is situated on a bluff on the north side of the lake. The eastern side borders near US 319
, the south side is bordered by the developments of Killearn Lakes Plantation and Luna Pines. The west side edges near State Road 155
(N. Meridian Road). The highest elevation around the lake's basin is 220 feet (67 m).
ic to mesotrophic with a Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) of 31200.
The eastern end of Lake Iamonia is oligotrophic which makes it one of the cleanest lakes in Leon County. The lake is 95 feet (29 m) above sea level and the sink basin, located on the northern shore of Lake Iamonia, has a surface area of 19.52 acres (78,994.7 m²). Its average depth is 7 feet (2 m) and its maximum depth is 40 feet (12 m). The lake is surrounded by 4000 acres (16 km²) of land under conservation easement.
The volume of water in the lake is affected by water in its own drainage basin and by water from the Ochlockonee River
and rainfall in Southwestern Georgia
.
The flooding of this river re-filled the entire body of the dried lake within 3 days in February 2008. Thunderstorm
s which hit the Florida pandhadle and southwest Georgia on April 2 and 3 brought the level of the Ochlockonee River to 26.1 feet (8 m), 4 feet (1 m) above flood stage raising the lake level substantially.
was constructed across the western end slough
s with two small bridge
s separated by 1850 feet (564 m) of fill dirt
. The dam separated Lake Iamonia from the Ochlockonee River
to keep out the river's water so that the lake would dry for agricultural
purposes.
In 1940 a 1150 feet (351 m) long, 150 feet (46 m) wide earthen dike
was constructed around the sink basin to keep water in the lake. A concrete
spillway
was constructed for overflow with 60 inches (152 cm) metal pipes and sluice gates built into the earthen dikes at the sink. Just before 1950 additional earthen dams were built across Cromartie Arm (to the south) and Strickland Arm (to the north) and bordering Horseshoe Plantation
. The purpose of these dams was to keep water in Cromartie and Strickland Arms for the plantations.
By the 1970s
aquatic plant
s had increased in the lake. In 1978 the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
constructed draw down structures in the sink basin on the north end and under the bridge on N. Meridian Road
but were removed by 1980 due to damage from bald cypress roots. Northwest Florida Water Management District welded the sluice gates open and the sink drains continuously.
The sink area covers 19.5 acres (78,913.8 m²) and has a maximum depth of 400 feet (122 m). It has a drain rate at 9.2 cubic feet per second.
, Pine Hill Plantation
, Oaklawn Plantation
and G.W. Holland Plantation surrounding it. During dry periods
which naturally occurred in cycles, a few cotton plantation owners would take advantage of the exposed land and wealth of grass
es and vegetation which took hold in the nutrient rich lake bottom and graze their cattle
and sheep on the lake.
, Bobcat, Cotton rat, Common rat, March rice rat, Oldfield mouse, Eastern wood rat, Coyote, Gray fox, Red fox, Gray squirrel, Fox squirrel, Marsh rabbit, Nine-banded armadillo, Opossum, Racoon
, River otter, White-tailed deer.
, Bluegill
, Black crappie, Flier, Redear sunfish
, Florida Gar
, Bowfin
, American Pickerel
,
, Snapping turtle
, Florida softshell turtle, Peninsular cooter
, Pond slider
, Musk turtle
, Eastern mud turtle, Chicken turtle, Suwanee cooter
, Box turtle
, Florida green water snake
, Banded water snake
, Cottonmouth
, Black racer
, Corn snake, Southern ribbon snake
, Garter snake, Eastern kingsnake, Black swamp snake, Mud snake
, Red-bellied snake
, Ringneck snake
, Grey rat snake, Rough green snake
, Scarlet snake
, Coachwhip snake
, Eastern Indigo snake.
, Florida cricket frog
, Two-toed amphiuma, Central newt.
Prairie lake
A prairie lake is a somewhat shallow lake that will empty naturally during dry periods allowing a variety of land plants to flourish in the rich nutrients on the lake bottom. The lakes eventually fill up with water returning to their previous state. In northern Florida, a Flatwoods/Prairie Lake is...
in northern Leon County, Florida
Leon County, Florida
Leon County is a county located in the state of Florida, named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. At the 2010 Census, the population was 275,487. The county seat of Leon County is Tallahassee which also serves as the state capital. The county seat is home to two of Florida's major...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
created during the Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
epoch.
Forming Iamonia
Lake Iamonia's base was established during the Early PleistoceneEarly Pleistocene
Calabrian is a subdivision of the Pleistocene Epoch of the Geologic time scale. ~1.8 Ma.—781,000 years ago ± 5,000 years, a period of ~.The end of the stage is defined by the last magnetic pole reversal and plunge in to an ice age and global drying possibly colder and drier than the late Miocene ...
through submergence of land during glacial
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
retreat (a warming period) and emergence from the sea during glacial advancement (a cooling period). Though the ice sheet was Iamonia's appearance began to take shape during the Okefenokee terrace and shoreline period and was complete by the Wicomico terrace and shoreline event thousands of years later.
See: Leon County Pleistocene coastal terraces
Leon County Pleistocene coastal terraces
Leon County Pleistocene coastal terraces and shorelines were the geologic result of warming and cooling periods in what is now Leon County, Florida during the Pleistocene epoch.-Overview:...
Ancient fauna
Lake Iamonia area is known to have supported a variety of megafaunaMegafauna
In terrestrial zoology, megafauna are "giant", "very large" or "large" animals. The most common thresholds used are or...
from as far back as 23.6 Ma. Fossils of the bear-dog Amphicyon
Amphicyon
Amphicyon is an extinct genus of large carnivorous bone-crushing mammals, known as bear-dogs, of the family Amphicyonidae, subfamily Amphicyoninae, from the Aquitanian Epoch until the Tortonian...
and the dog-like Temnocyonines
Temnocyonines
Temnocyon are an extinct genus of carnivorous mammals belonging to the family of Amphicyonidae endemic to North America that lived during the Oligocene to Early Miocene approximately 30.3—20.6 mya existing approximately .-Taxonomy:...
have been uncovered at nearby sites. The Griscom Plantation Site, once located on Luna Plantation
Luna Plantation
Luna Plantation was a quail hunting plantation located in northeastern Leon County, Florida, United States established by Lloyd C. Griscom.Lloyd C. Griscom was the son of Clement A. Griscom from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Clement was a shipping magnate, President of the Red Star Line and American...
, and on the south shore of Iamonia has produced fossils of the ruminant Leptomeryx
Leptomeryx
Leptomeryx is an extinct genus of ruminant of the family Leptomerycidae, endemic to North America during the Eocene through Oligocene 38—24.8 Mya, existing for approximately .-Taxonomy:...
, the horse relatives Merychippus
Merychippus
Merychippus is an extinct proto-horse of the family Equidae that was endemic to North America during the Miocene from 20.43—10.3 Ma living for approximately .It had three toes on each foot and is the first horse known to have grazed...
and Parahippus leonensis
Parahippus leonensis
Parahippus leonensis is an extinct proto-horse of the family Equidae that was endemic to North America during the Miocene from 23.030—16.3 Ma living for approximately .Parahippus leonensis was named for Leon or more specifically Leon County, Florida....
, and the ancient camel Oxydactylus
Oxydactylus
Oxydactylus, is an extinct terrestrial herbivorous genus of the tribe Camelini, family Camelidae, endemic to North America Oligocene through the Middle Miocene and in existence for approximately ....
. Osbornodon iamonensis
Osbornodon iamonensis
Osbornodon iamonensis is an extinct species of bone-crushing Hesperocyoninae, a predecessor of modern dogs that were endemic to North America and which lived from the Orellan age of the Early Oligocene to Early Miocene epoch 23.6—16.3 Ma and existed for approximately .O. iamonensis was named by E. H...
(Osborn's dog), a forerunner of today's dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
, was named for the lake.
Prehistoric people
The lake was home to the Woodland culture, more specifically the Weeden Island cultureWeeden Island culture
The Weeden Island Culture is one of the many archaeological cultures that existed during the Late Woodland period of the North American Southeast...
, of early Native Americans
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
from roughly 200 BCE to 750 AD
750
Year 750 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 750 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Gopala is proclaimed as the first ruler of...
. It was within the Apalachee Province
Apalachee Province
Apalachee Province was the area in the Panhandle of the present-day U.S. state of Florida inhabited by the Native American peoples known as the Apalachee at the time of European contact. The southernmost extent of the Mississippian culture, the Apalachee lived in what is now Leon County, Wakulla...
from 1000 AD to the 1520s and later the lake would become home to the Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
s. Lake Iamonia is prounced "I-monia" and is named after a Seminole town “Hiamonee,” which was located on the banks of the Ochlockonee River
Ochlockonee River
The Ochlockonee River is a fast running river originating in Georgia and flowing for before terminating in Florida.- Background :The Ochlockonee originates south of the town of Sylvester in Worth County in southwest Georgia emptying into Ochlockonee Bay, then into Apalachee Bay, in Florida...
.
Location
The lake is located in the Red Hills RegionRed Hills Region
The Red Hills Region is a unique 300,000-acre area of the southeastearn United States overlapping parts of southwestern Georgia and north Florida.-Location:...
and is approximately 5,757 acres (23 km²) in size and is 7 miles (11 km) long and up to 2 miles (3 km) wide. It has a drainage basin of roughly 101 square miles (260 km).
State Road 12 (Florida)
State Road 12 is an east–west route in the Florida Panhandle, running from SR 20 in Bristol to US 27 in Havana.The route continues as county roads on both ends, on the western end running south as Liberty County Road 12 to SR 65, and on the east running as Gadsden and then Leon County Road 12...
runs along the northern part of the lake. Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy
Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy
Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy is a research and learning facility located in northern Leon County, Florida, just off County Road 12 on the north side of Lake Iamonia...
is situated on a bluff on the north side of the lake. The eastern side borders near US 319
U.S. Route 319
U.S. Highway 319 is a spur of U.S. Route 19. It runs for 318 miles from US 1 /State Route 4 in Wadley, Georgia to the John Gorrie Bridge at Apalachicola, Florida. The sections of US 319 in Medart, Florida and from just east of Carrabelle, Florida to its terminus in Apalachicola are jointly...
, the south side is bordered by the developments of Killearn Lakes Plantation and Luna Pines. The west side edges near State Road 155
State Road 155 (Florida)
State Road 155 is a north–south route in Tallahassee.State Road 155 is signed over a portion of Meridian Road in northern Tallahassee; the rest of the road is Leon County Road 155....
(N. Meridian Road). The highest elevation around the lake's basin is 220 feet (67 m).
Details
Lake Iamonia is classified as oligotrophOligotroph
An oligotroph is an organism that can live in an environment that offers very low levels of nutrients. They may be contrasted with copiotrophs, which prefer nutritionally rich environments...
ic to mesotrophic with a Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) of 31200.
The eastern end of Lake Iamonia is oligotrophic which makes it one of the cleanest lakes in Leon County. The lake is 95 feet (29 m) above sea level and the sink basin, located on the northern shore of Lake Iamonia, has a surface area of 19.52 acres (78,994.7 m²). Its average depth is 7 feet (2 m) and its maximum depth is 40 feet (12 m). The lake is surrounded by 4000 acres (16 km²) of land under conservation easement.
Ochlockonee River
The Ochlockonee River is a fast running river originating in Georgia and flowing for before terminating in Florida.- Background :The Ochlockonee originates south of the town of Sylvester in Worth County in southwest Georgia emptying into Ochlockonee Bay, then into Apalachee Bay, in Florida...
and rainfall in Southwestern Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
The flooding of this river re-filled the entire body of the dried lake within 3 days in February 2008. Thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
s which hit the Florida pandhadle and southwest Georgia on April 2 and 3 brought the level of the Ochlockonee River to 26.1 feet (8 m), 4 feet (1 m) above flood stage raising the lake level substantially.
Dams and dikes
In 1910, a damDam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
was constructed across the western end slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
s with two small bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s separated by 1850 feet (564 m) of fill dirt
Fill dirt
Fill dirt is earthy material which is used to fill in a depression or hole in the ground or create mounds or otherwise artificially change the grade or elevation of real property....
. The dam separated Lake Iamonia from the Ochlockonee River
Ochlockonee River
The Ochlockonee River is a fast running river originating in Georgia and flowing for before terminating in Florida.- Background :The Ochlockonee originates south of the town of Sylvester in Worth County in southwest Georgia emptying into Ochlockonee Bay, then into Apalachee Bay, in Florida...
to keep out the river's water so that the lake would dry for agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
purposes.
In 1940 a 1150 feet (351 m) long, 150 feet (46 m) wide earthen dike
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
was constructed around the sink basin to keep water in the lake. A concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
spillway
Spillway
A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of flows from a dam or levee into a downstream area, typically being the river that was dammed. In the UK they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways release floods so that the water does not overtop and damage or even destroy...
was constructed for overflow with 60 inches (152 cm) metal pipes and sluice gates built into the earthen dikes at the sink. Just before 1950 additional earthen dams were built across Cromartie Arm (to the south) and Strickland Arm (to the north) and bordering Horseshoe Plantation
Horseshoe Plantation
Horseshoe Plantation is an cotton plantation located in northern Leon County, Florida and established around 1840 by Dr. Edward Bradford, a planter from Enfield, North Carolina.It is currently owned and maintained by Frederic C. Hamilton. Mr...
. The purpose of these dams was to keep water in Cromartie and Strickland Arms for the plantations.
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
aquatic plant
Aquatic plant
Aquatic plants are plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments. They are also referred to as hydrophytes or aquatic macrophytes. These plants require special adaptations for living submerged in water, or at the water's surface. Aquatic plants can only grow in water or in soil that is...
s had increased in the lake. In 1978 the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is a Florida government agency charged with managing the state's fish and wildlife resources, regulating Florida's fisheries and wildlife, and enforcing related laws...
constructed draw down structures in the sink basin on the north end and under the bridge on N. Meridian Road
State Road 155 (Florida)
State Road 155 is a north–south route in Tallahassee.State Road 155 is signed over a portion of Meridian Road in northern Tallahassee; the rest of the road is Leon County Road 155....
but were removed by 1980 due to damage from bald cypress roots. Northwest Florida Water Management District welded the sluice gates open and the sink drains continuously.
The sink area covers 19.5 acres (78,913.8 m²) and has a maximum depth of 400 feet (122 m). It has a drain rate at 9.2 cubic feet per second.
Prairie stage
In the antebellum 19th century, Lake Iamonia had Burgesstown PlantationBurgesstown Plantation
Burgesstown Plantation was a large cotton plantation of in northern Leon County, Florida, United States established by Frederich R. Cotten between 1850 and 1855.-Plantation location:...
, Pine Hill Plantation
Pine Hill Plantation
Pine Hill Plantation was a large cotton plantation of established between 1829 and 1832 in northern Leon County, Florida, United States touching the southeast arm of Lake Iamonia established by Dr...
, Oaklawn Plantation
Oaklawn Plantation
Oaklawn Plantation was a large plantation of 5326 acres in northern Leon County in the U.S. state of Florida. It was established around 1850 by Captain William Lester of Burke County, Georgia.-Location:...
and G.W. Holland Plantation surrounding it. During dry periods
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
which naturally occurred in cycles, a few cotton plantation owners would take advantage of the exposed land and wealth of grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
es and vegetation which took hold in the nutrient rich lake bottom and graze their cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
and sheep on the lake.
Mammals
BeaverBeaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
, Bobcat, Cotton rat, Common rat, March rice rat, Oldfield mouse, Eastern wood rat, Coyote, Gray fox, Red fox, Gray squirrel, Fox squirrel, Marsh rabbit, Nine-banded armadillo, Opossum, Racoon
Racoon
Racoon is a Dutch rock band, formed in 1997. Their first big appearance was at the 1999 Noorderslagfestival. First album Till Monkeys Fly appeared in January 2000, produced by Michael Schoots . The first single, Feel Like Flying, became a hit and got a lot of airplay on the Dutch radiostation 3FM...
, River otter, White-tailed deer.
Fish
Iamonia is an attraction for sport fishing with Largemouth bassLargemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, Bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
, Black crappie, Flier, Redear sunfish
Redear sunfish
The redear sunfish , also known as the shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch, is native to the southeastern United States, but since it is a popular sport fish it has been introduced to bodies of water all over North America...
, Florida Gar
Florida gar
The Florida Gar is a species of gar that is found in the USA from the Savannah River and Ochlockonee River watersheds of Georgia and throughout peninsular Florida. Florida gars can reach a length of over 3 feet . The young feed on zooplankton and insect larvae, as well as small fish. Adults mainly...
, Bowfin
Bowfin
The Bowfin, Amia calva, is the last surviving member of the order Amiiformes , and of the family Amiidae...
, American Pickerel
American pickerel
The American pickerels are two subspecies of Esox americanus, a species of freshwater fish in the pike family of order Esociformes: the redfin pickerel, E. americanus americanus Gmelin, 1789, and the grass pickerel, E. americanus vermiculatus Lesueur, 1846.Both subspecies are native to North America...
,
Reptiles
American AlligatorAmerican Alligator
The American alligator , sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator, is a reptile endemic only to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two living species of alligator, in the genus Alligator, within the family Alligatoridae...
, Snapping turtle
Snapping turtle
The common snapping turtle is a large freshwater turtle of the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia and Florida and as far southwest as northeastern Mexico...
, Florida softshell turtle, Peninsular cooter
Pseudemys floridana
The Coastal cooter or Florida cooter is a species of large herbivorous freshwater turtle in the genus Pseudemys....
, Pond slider
Trachemys scripta
Trachemys scripta, better known as the pond slider, is a common, medium-sized semi-aquatic turtle. There are three subspecies of sliders. The most recognizable subspecies is the red-eared slider , which is popular in the pet trade. This subspecies has been introduced to other parts of the world...
, Musk turtle
Sternotherus odoratus
Sternotherus odoratus is a species of small turtle native to southeastern Canada and much of the Eastern United States. It is also known as the common musk turtle or stinkpot due to its ability to release a foul musky odor to deter predation...
, Eastern mud turtle, Chicken turtle, Suwanee cooter
Pseudemys concinna
The eastern river cooter or river cooter is a freshwater turtle native to the central and eastern United States, from Virginia south to mid-Georgia, west to eastern Texas, Oklahoma, and north to southern Indiana...
, Box turtle
Terrapene carolina
The common box turtle is a species of box turtle with six existing subspecies. It is found throughout the eastern United States and Mexico. The box turtle has a distinctive hinged lowered shell that allows it to completely enclose itself...
, Florida green water snake
Nerodia floridana
Florida green watersnake is a harmless North American species of water snake.N. floridana is the largest and most dominant watersnake in North America. Fully grown it will reach 30-55 in . Its coloration is solid greenish-brownish with whitish belly in adults...
, Banded water snake
Nerodia fasciata
The banded water snake or Southern water snake is a species of mostly aquatic, nonvenomous, colubrid snake found in the central and southeastern United States, from Indiana, south to Texas and east to Florida.-Description:...
, Cottonmouth
Agkistrodon piscivorus
Agkistrodon piscivorus is a venomous snake, a species of pit viper, found in the southeastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. When antagonized they will stand their ground by coiling their bodies and displaying their fangs...
, Black racer
Coluber constrictor
Coluber constrictor is a species of nonvenomous, colubrid snakes commonly referred to as the eastern racers. They are primarily found throughout the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, but they range north into Canada, and south into Mexico, Guatemala and Belize...
, Corn snake, Southern ribbon snake
Southern ribbon snake
Southern ribbon snake is a species of garter snake. It is one of four subspecies of the eastern ribbon snake is smaller than the other Thamnophis sauritus subspecies at 16 to 30 inches and occurs in the southeastern United States from South Carolina, extreme southern Georgia and Alabama,...
, Garter snake, Eastern kingsnake, Black swamp snake, Mud snake
Farancia abacura
The mud snake is a species of nonvenomous, semiaquatic, colubrid snake that is found in the southeastern United States.- Description :...
, Red-bellied snake
Storeria occipitomaculata
The redbelly snake is a species of snake found in North America. The following subspecies are known:*Florida redbelly snake - Storeria occipitomaculata obscura Trapido, 1944...
, Ringneck snake
Diadophis punctatus
The ringneck snake or ring-necked snake is a colubrid snake species. It is found throughout much of the United States, central Mexico, and south eastern Canada. Ring-necked snakes are secretive, nocturnal snakes that are rarely seen during the day time...
, Grey rat snake, Rough green snake
Opheodrys aestivus
The rough green snake is a nonvenomous North American colubrid. It is sometimes called grass snake or green grass snake, but these names are more commonly applied to the smooth green snake . The European colubrid called grass snake is unrelated...
, Scarlet snake
Cemophora coccinea copei
The Northern scarlet snake is a subspecies of harmless colubrid snake that is found in the southern and eastern United States. The epithet copei is in honor of renown taxonomist Edward Drinker Cope.- Description :...
, Coachwhip snake
Masticophis flagellum
Masticophis flagellum is a species of nonvenomous colubrid snakes commonly referred to as coachwhips or whip snakes, with seven recognized subspecies.- Geographical range :...
, Eastern Indigo snake.
Amphibians
Pig frog, Bullfrog, Leopard frog, Green tree frog, Squirrel tree frogHyla squirella
The Squirrel Treefrog is a small species of tree frog found in the southeastern United States, from Texas to Virginia.- Description :...
, Florida cricket frog
Acris gryllus
The Southern cricket frog is a small Hylid frog native to the Southeastern United States. It is very similar in appearance and habits to the Northern cricket frog, Acris crepitans, and was formerly conspecific...
, Two-toed amphiuma, Central newt.