Birth Of A Florida Key

[Music] [Music] [Music] Southern Florida is a Mir infant as geologists reckon age only 45 million years old and still growing this is a story of the key that unique chain of 700 Islands extending 120 Mi along the Gul and into the Caribbean Sea where once there was over a coral reef today there is land land made by Bush and bird where there is land there soon is life and the keys are teaming with it in abundant variety one of the first to make their Hing Birds who live mainly off the fish of the sea any new growth of vegetation soon attracts a host of hungry insects who in turn are baked for a batch of grumpy frogs because birds have fertilized the shallow offshore Waters plant life subsequently appears as aure to the shellfish family animal vegetable and mineral life all another microcosm of nature is [Music] complete just how do these islands grow these brand new pieces of real estate that keep the map makers busy the origin of many of the keys is rooted in the mangrove a tropical Maritime tree which throws out innumerable are Roots these are the blossoms and seed pods of the mangrove now watch this curious land builder at work a seed pod has dropped from its parent tree and is pushed Along by wind tide and currents until it drifts into shallow water here the action of small waves embeds the pointed end of the seed in the sand the plant has taken root the man grve multiplies faster than the proverbial rabbit as branches appear on the new bush they in turn send down more Roots which reach out as if walking on each root another upright plant grows until the mangrove is just one mass of Tangled Roots which act as an anchor to Drifting sand Falling Leaves stray seaweed and other ocean grasses when the birds come they add their guano to the mixture of sand and humus gradually creating a rich soil around the roots of a mangrove tree ocean currents pile up sand on the shores of the new island and thus a key is Born the skimmers these long-winged Marine Birds prefer to make their nests right on the hot sand note how both eggs and babies blend right in with their background one of the many camouflage tricks that mother nature plays to protect her young ones a variety of crustations better known as crabs plucked to the shallow Waters of a newly established key here they feed off the minute Marine plants that grow as soon as the first birds have fertilize the shores these for obvious reasons are dubbed horseshoe crabs and this one might turn up in a can on the grocery shelf someday he's the blue crab good to eat but a mean Critter with a vicious [Music] grip here's a herd of fidler crab swarming down to the Sea for a tiny sip of water the fascinating Fiddler is a lilip puchan crab hardly bigger than a bumblebee semi-terrestrial these crabs spend many of their waking hours playing hide-and-seek on the sand note the extra large and Powerful claw that's the special trademark of the male who actually uses his super claw to wave to his lady love two small claws distinguish the female Fiddler from the male and this is house hunting Fiddler fashion just dig in and make yourself at home he'll use his tunnel later as protection from the cold or when danger [Music] threatens the large claw of the male is his chief weapon and a handy gadget for a tug of war To the victor belongs the spoils insects Plankton and the Flesh of fish or fruit that's the dinner menu of the tiny Fiddler who makes expert use of his portable [Music] Chopsticks that hypothetical she who sells seashells by the seashore would consider the crown a valuable item in her inventory and who would have thought that this beautiful creature could do a flip an arduous feet it seems but a necessity in his Eternal Quest for food [Music] as the seasons pass the Island's growth continues and the rosate spoon Bill adds a Grace note to the Ever Changing Panorama of nature in [Music] action some of Nature's activities are violent but they all have their purpose in the scheme of growth in the beginning the key was made up only of mangroves but as the rains come the soil becomes less salty until other plants too can [Music] Thrive freshwater pools are the byproduct of sudden tropical hurricanes a succession of rains Through The Years changes not only the content of the soil but the very face of this new Earth migrating birds are the transport carriers of a variety of seed seeds which by now are capable of growing in the improved soil of the key the beautiful floating hent Springs up to bck the naturally contrived waterways and that's the signal for yet another migration of insects all of them intent on seeking these rich supplies of succulent pollen [Music] these arrivals to the key Community add new sounds to the Sweet cacophony of nature unspoiled the busy hummings and buzzings of bees and dragonflies the flutterings of frail and iridescent wings and the strident chattering of the happy orthoptera family better known as grasshoppers some of the insects are herbivorous some carnivorous in Nature's grand plan there's a fine interdependence among the members of her animal and vegetable kingdoms man has labeled this plan ecology the fascinating study of the mutual relations between organisms and their [Music] [Music] environment take the cwad for instance a species of crayfish The Crawling cwad was originally attracted to the key because of fresh supplies of Plankton and small marine life available for his special diet and because he's there the Wy raccoon moves in reason the caad is his favorite dish [Music] land snails are a retiring bashful Bunch who live mainly on green plants and decaying vegetable debris the ubiquitous Mangrove leaf on the key attracts them by the [Music] thousands when the key soil has dried out sufficiently reptils make their sinuous appearance the venomous Diamond Back Rattler is a deadly Beauty but he too has his place in the ecological balance of the keys consuming as he does vast quantities of rodents which otherwise would overrun these islands the blue skunk lizard another insect eater is the speed demon of the reptile World graceful and slithery the rainbow snake is a harmless creature but still perhaps one that only mother nature could love [Music] the tree frog is an insect eater too but he better watch out for snakes Coons and herons consider him a delectable dessert years have passed since that first little Mangrove seed drifting from perhaps South America or one of the Caribbean countries dropped into the warm Waters of the gulf there to Mark the birth of a key the birds have played their role in The Saga of the islands growth and now each spring they return to the home they help to build the keys are popular with many members of the Heron family the Heron is a long necked long-legged waiting bird whose skill at fishing is the Envy of every amateur Angler [Music] all herens are distinguished by their vicious bills with which they first disable their prey and then swallow it in the wondrous World of Nature there's a reason for everything the ros8 spoon bill is back on the scene after virtually disappearing for 50 years his face is not a thing of beauty but his color scheme is a joy forever behold the American Egret a proud Heron possessed of an Irish temper he has a pretty trick when angry or aroused his head feathers literally stand on end in the gay90s Egret plumes were high fashion on frivolous Chapo but here they are Back To Nature again thanks to a law inspired by the national Autobon society which prohibits the capture of this elegant bird when young the eastern brown pelican is a cute little bundle of white the brown pelican unlike his numerous cousins is especially Fearless of people mama and papa Pelican go fishing for their youngsters who eat their meals right out of their parents gullet these are pelicans of kindergarten age their throats pulsing from the heat of the Southern Sun the white ibis is a tar baby at birth these birds Gather in huge colonies at Mating Season building their crude nests close together in the mangrove thickets this is a grownup white ibis while in a nearby Nest a Ward's Heron guards her eggs nature reveals her miracles in Myriad forms and man can only guess at her mysterious purposes but here on the key is an inspiring story of growth and the interdependence of All Creatures of our universe from just a tiny seed has grown a whole small world the key original creation of bush and bird [Music]