The Eagle Has Landed... or Not

By Tim Grollimund

One of the most popular charismatic mega fauna in our waters is the spotted eagle ray. Kim Bassos-Hull, from Mote Marine Laboratory, has been studying spotted eagle rays (SERs) since 2009. Her work has centered primarily along the coast from St. Petersburg to Sanibel Island. She is collecting data in the Florida Keys to enhance and expand her studies, but as of today, no critical habitats for feeding, mating and pupping have been identified. Kim and the Mote crew have captured, documented and tagged over 300 rays in the last four years. They also have an extensive aerial survey to spot rays inside the research area. Individual SERs can be identified by the unique spot formations and shapes. Each ray is unique. They photograph the head of each captured ray, and submit the photo to a software application that maps the spots. This software was originally developed for mapping stars, then modified to map the spots on whale sharks, and now, rays. Over time, if an individual is captured again, they can identify it and update the vital statistics.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tim Grollimund
• Release date: Sep 10, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370159307

Tim Grollimund

Tim spent nearly a decade in Key Largo, Florida. He wrote the scuba diving column for the local newspaper, The Reporter, for over three years, and also served as a Working Group member and Alternate Representative on the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. His ebooks are all based on his newspaper columns. Each ebook has a collection of underwater images shot by Tim. The ebooks cover a wide range of marine life species and ocean conservation topics.

Book preview

The Eagle Has Landed... or Not

Tim Grollimund

Author: Tim Grollimund

Date Published: July xx, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-3701593-0-7

Publisher: Smashwords Edition

Copyright © Apex Global Solutions LLC 2017. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced, displayed, modified or distributed without the prior and express written permission of the copyright holder. All inquiries via timgrollimund.com

Table of Contents

The Eagle Has Landed... or Not

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The Reporter

Eagle Rays

About The Author

Other eBooks, Prints and Keepsakes

Articles I used to write this column

Acknowledgments

To Dad, who knew I loved the sea, and always encouraged me to pursue my passion.

Introduction

When I moved to the Florida Keys in 2009, I had one objective in mind. Simply, to become highly proficient as an underwater photographer. For the previous several years, I had helped my brother