USFWS Southeast Region

Did you know the elephant is the manatee’s closest living relative? They have the fingernails to prove it. #ManateeAwarenessMonth Photo of manatees at Crystal River by Michel Gilbert .

Think bats are scary? A world without bats is what would really be scary. #BatWeek

#Aractober > October. http://ow.ly/dDnN50C5Izv :Jumping spider. Flickr, Public Domain.

Think bats are scary? A world without bats would be a world filled with mosquitos with no coffee or chocolate. Now that's scary. #BatWeek

Meet the #endangered spruce-fir moss spider. This little arachnid is is one of the smallest members of the primitive suborder of spiders, Mygalomorphae, which includes tarantulas and trapdoor spiders. #Arachtober http://ow.ly/If6850C1k8o

It's a family affair for the Florida scrub-jay! When the offspring leave the nest, instead of going off to raise young on their own they stay with their parents and help them raise next year's brood.

How are you celebrating National Wildlife Refuge Week? Find a refuge near you: http://ow.ly/CHC950BUWoQ

We're proposing to list the Puerto Rican harlequin #butterfly as threatened under the #Endangered Species Act. Primary threats to the butterfly include habitat modification, fragmentation & losses caused by urban development and agricultural practices. http://ow.ly/3SSe50BTUFQ

We're celebrating National Wildlife Refuge Week right meow! The National Wildlife Refuge System lands and waters serve a purpose distinct from that of other U.S. public lands: Wildlife conservation drives everything on national wildlife refuges, from the purposes for which each refuge was established, to the recreational activities offered, to the resource management tools used. Find a refuge near you: https://www.fws.gov/refuges/find-a-wildlife-refuge/

Check out these National Wildlife Refuge Week events: https://www.fws.gov//ev/National-Wildlife-Refuge-Week.html Video: Paddlers at Havasu National Wildlife Refuge along the Arizona-California border, by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service #LiveYourWild

Meet the mother of all bad romance, the female black widow. Found across the U.S., these ladies are known for their bloodthirsty courtship. After mating females will sometimes kill and eat the male. #arachtober : Konrad Summers

A small secretive bird is getting the protection it needs as a threatened species under the #Endangered Species Act. The eastern black rail is in decline primarily due to habitat loss and destruction, sea level rise, tidal flooding, incompatible land management and increasing storm intensity and frequency. The good news is because this bird has a wide range it will have many partners working to conserve it. ... http://ow.ly/UNpo50BNK27

Saturday morning feels.