Have you ever wondered why Florida’s state symbols are what they are? Many people assume that these symbols are just random, but most of the time, each symbol has a certain significance to the history or culture of that state. Florida has a lot of state symbols, including the flag and the seal, and each one has its own significance and history.
Animal:
The Florida state animal, not to anyone’s surprise, is the Florida panther. The Florida panther is the one of the most endangered mammals in Florida and the world, with population numbers estimated between 120-230. It makes its home in pinelands, hardwood hammocks, and mixed swamp forests and feeds on deer. The Florida panther became the Florida state animal, in 1982, when students throughout the state got to vote on what they wanted the animal to be. It was between the manatee, the alligator, the panther, and the Florida Key deer. The Florida panther is a part of captive breeding programs to prevent the species from going extinct and to increase the genetic diversity of the species population, but Florida’s expanding human population is hindering this effort by continuously growing into the panther territory.
Marine Mammal:
The title for the Florida state marine mammal goes to the West Indian manatee. This manatee makes its home in the southeastern United States and the Bahamas, but can migrate all the way to Texas or even Rhode Island with the cold waters. In 1975, legislation was passed to designate the manatee as the state marine mammal. There’s been a lot of movement to protect this species because of boat strikes threatening their numbers. Even though they’ve recently been moved from endangered to threatened, the management strategies will remain to ensure their long-term survival.
Saltwater Mammal:
The Florida State Saltwater Mammal is the dolphin. In 1975, the same legislation that designated the marine mammal also designated the “porpoise” as the state saltwater mammal. While the bottlenose dolphin is often referred to as a porpoise, it is actually a mammal. These dolphins are known to be very playful, often racing alongside boats or in their wake. This animal is not on the endangered species list, and is historically seen by sailors as a sign of good luck.
Saltwater Fish:
The Atlantic sailfish is Florida’s saltwater fish. They are popular as a saltwater game fish in Florida offshore waters. They are infamous for putting up impressive fights when they are caught by anglers, as their brilliantly large and vibrant sail raises when they are excited or when they come to the surface. In recent years, however, the population has been decreased because of overfishing and accidental harvesting by commercial fishers.
Stone:
The state stone is agatized coral. It was named the state stone in 1979 and is fossilized remains of coral, which become geodes lined with smooth, spherical agate over time. Corals become fossils after acidic groundwater dissolves calcium carbonate skeletons of coral. Dissolved silica replaces calcium carbonate and the groundwater deposits minerals, giving the coral the appearance of stone.
Gem:
The Florida State Gem is not even found in Florida. It’s the Moonstone, which is a form of the mineral feldspar. Moonstones are often found in New Mexico, but can also be found in Brazil, India, Germany, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Myanmar, Mexico and Tanzania. The moonstone is a Florida state symbol because of all the space expeditions that were launched from Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County.
