The Trailblazer

  Left Tooth : The left tooth belongs to the lemon shark. Lemon sharks have slender, needle-like teeth that are perfect for catching slippery fish, their primary food source. The teeth are sharply pointed, straight, and narrow, which helps them pierce and hold onto their prey. They may also be curved slightly inward to aid in this process. Lemon shark teeth are typically smooth along the edges without any serration because they're designed more for grasping rather than cutting or tearing. Middle Tooth : The middle tooth belongs to the tiger shark. Tiger sharks are known for their unique, serrated teeth that function almost like a saw. These teeth are highly distinctive with sharp, serrated edges and a curved shape that enables them to take big, chunky bites! These teeth, combined with the tiger shark's powerful bite, make them one of the ocean's top predators! Right Teeth : The teeth on the right belong to the bonnethead shark. Bonnethead sharks have a combination of teeth ...

Hello, young explorers of Hillsborough County! This month, we're going to dive deep into the fantastic world of sharks and discover more about their most famous features: their teeth! Image by  Malcolm Lidbury:   3.0 Unported license Sharks have a tooth-tally awesome feature - they can have up to 3,000 teeth at one time! What's even more incredible is that unlike us, when a shark loses a tooth, it simply grows a new one. This results in an ongoing cycle of tooth loss and regrowth, leading to shark teeth washing up along the shore! Shark teeth can sometimes be very small! Image from  Rare Finds :  Attribution 2.0 Generic Here in Tampa Bay, our waters are home to many different species of sharks. The warm summer months bring baby sharks, also known as pups, into our bay, where they are protected from larger predators in deeper Gulf waters. This makes our beloved E.G. Simmons Conservation Park , Apollo Beach Nature Preserve , and Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park ideal...

World Ranger Day is an annual event observed on July 31st to pay homage to the invaluable efforts and sacrifices made by rangers worldwide in safeguarding our natural heritage. This significant day seeks to raise awareness about the critical role these individuals play in preserving and protecting our biodiversity, wildlife, and precious ecosystems. Whether it’s in your backyard here in Hillsborough County, or across the world in Tanzania, rangers are an integral part in protecting some of the world's most precious wildlife, landscapes, and cultural sites.  Two CELM staff members walking down a trail In Hillsborough County, we have two different roles to celebrate on World Ranger Day. Park Rangers are found in our Conservation Parks and Environmental Technicians serve   our Nature Preserves. These jobs perform similar work, with some overlapping jobs and  specialty tasks dividing the two, and should be equally praised for their work conserving Hillsborough’s natural res...

Behind the scenes of every park, trail, or public space lies the work of dedicated public servants. One such exemplary individual is Chris Postiglione, CELM's Parks and Preserves Planning and Development Manager. Chris may be new to the department, but he certainly isn't new to Hillsborough County. In over 30 years of dedicated service, he has honed his craft of developing county assets.  Chris started his career at Mid-State Engineering and Paragon Cable Engineering, developing utility maps and site layout designs. His love for the outdoors coupled with his desire to connect with others led him to Hillsborough County, serving the Public Works and Parks Departments. His diverse workload of projects has allowed him to manage the construction of breakwaters, channel dredging, trail building, sports complexes, and fair grounds  As the Planning and Development Manager for CELM, Chris recognizes that our parks and preserves are beautiful natural resource assets. As these spaces rec...