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Kayak Amelia
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VULTURE!
There's nothing more exciting then to see a huge shadow cross the ground. You gaze upward to see what it is.... Please be a hawk, please be a hawk.... And it's a Vulture
(Or Buzzard as we called them growing up). 
Sure they're not as sexy as a Bald Eagle but everything has it's place and these birds play a HUGE role in our eco-systems!
Florida is home to TWO species of these large raptors. The Black Vulture and the Turkey Vulture. The most visible difference is the Turkey Vulture's red head. Black Vultures have a black head. ---->
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Florida's Vultures are federally protected! They are nature's sanitation department, if you will. They are responsible for the removal of rotting flesh which sounds like an awful job... but to a Vulture:
Death = Life!
GROSS RIGHT!? BUT....
by consuming dead animals they are helping to stop the spread of disease that the dead animal could cause. 
☢️  ⚠️  ☢️  ⚠️  ☢️  ⚠️  ☢️  ⚠️  ☢️  ⚠️  ☢️
These flying garbage disposals have highly acidic stomachs (100 times more acid than ours) that allow them to eat dead and decaying flesh without getting sick.
Their acidic vomit and feces can cause all kinds of issues for humans. Vultures love to rest on power poles but can cause outages with their powerful acid. In the Florida Everglades, their poop peels the paint off of cars if left too long and they love to pick at the rubbery services on visitor's v
ehicles.
OOOOOOOOO, 
That SMELL!
Turkey Vultures have a keen sense of smell! Their Nostrils are essentially a hole in their beak covered with highly sensitive tissues that can detect dead material up to 12 miles away!
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Nothing smells better than the wafting fumes of decaying flesh. MMMMMmmmm Black Vultures don't have this adaptation and have to rely on their site to find a meal.
 
They are FAR FROM BASIC!
They have other awesome qualities besides death and rotting fumes:
Monogamy!
 They mate for life just like Eagles.

They stick by their mate all year long, thru thick and thin, and they don't have nests. Instead they leave their eggs on the ground under cover, in a dead log, or under a thick blanket of palmetto.
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They poop on their own legs to stay cool!

I mean, they wouldn't do it if it didn't work right?!


If they feel threatened they empty their stomachs. 

And if that doesn't make you leave, then bring it on!
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Kayak Amelia

13030 Heckscher Dr

Jacksonville, FL 32226

(904) 251-0016

www.KayakAmelia.com
Store Hours
Kayak office 9am-5pm everyday
(closed Wed. in Dec,Jan,Feb)
Kayak Amelia has guided ecotours (kayak, paddle board) and rentals (kayak, bike, paddle board ) in Talbot Island State Park.