Manasota Key is a quiet island south of Venice, Florida
around Venice.
Just south of Sarasota along Florida’s white-sanded Gulf Coast,
Venice offers 14 miles of beaches from Casey Key to Manasota Key
and plenty of recreational opportunities, including swimming, sunbathing, fishing and boating.
Manasota Beach
Our first full view of the beautiful Manasota Beach and the Gulf of Mexico.
Highlighting 14 acres of beach and dunes,
beachgoers follow sandy paths to a spectacular views of pristine sands and clear blue water.
With a fairly sharp slope from shore the water is ideal for swimming, snorkeling,
body boarding and finding sharks teeth.
http://www.bestbeaches.org/best-beaches/manasota-key-beaches/manasota-beach/
Stepping into the Gulf.
The name "Manasota Key" refers to an 11-mile-long peninsula
(transformed into a barrier island by the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway)
that continues north into Sarasota County.
The sand on Manasota Key is not pure white.
And you can see why. Just look at all the little colorful shell fragments and black and brown fossils and minerals mixed in with the quartz crystals!
It's not "dirty" sand; it's rich with all kinds of beautiful things.
http://www.beachhunter.net/manasotakey.htm
Collecting prehistoric sharks teeth has been a favorite pastime of visitors and residents of the Venice area for years. They may be black, brown, or gray, depending on the minerals in the soil in which they have been buried. They range in size from one eighth inch to three inches, and on rare occasions more.
Sharks of all species continually shed their teeth and grow new ones. They have 40 or more teeth in each jaw. Behind the functional rows or teeth are seven other rows of teeth developing into mature dentures to replace teeth as they are shed or lost. In ten years, an average Tiger shark can produce as many as 24,000 teeth.
There are over three hundred and seventy distinct species of sharks. They are all cartilage based fish without air bladders. Dermal denticles, which are rough scales with tooth-like structure, cover their skin. Digestively, they have a special adaptation called a spiral valve which increases surface area in a rather short intestinal tract. Any further statement about shark biology or behavior would truly depend upon the species. Sizes range from the dwarf shark which rarely attains much more that half a foot to the sixty foot 40 ton whale sharks. Fortunately, the two largest species, whale and basking sharks, make their living filter feeding one of the ocean's smallest animals. These gentle slow-moving giants have hundreds of rows of hair-like gill rakers that cull plankton and tiny fish from the water flowing through their mouth.
Sharks have lived and died in the Gulf of Mexico. Dead sharks sink to the ocean floor where they are covered by layers of sand and silt. Over time, the cartilage of their bodies disintegrates. Water and storm action eventually sweeps the sand away, exposing the teeth. Some are washed up on shore with the changing tides and waves.
For more go to: Shark's Teeth
Shelling is also a favorite pastime,
and fossilized shark's teeth can be found in abundance.
and fossilized shark's teeth can be found in abundance.
Doug found this shark tooth by sifting through the sand along the water's edge.
You don't need much more than a good eye and a pair of hands
for spotting and grabbing the teeth at the water's edge.
Serious shark tooth hunters like to use a sifter of some kind
to separate the sand from what they've scooped up.
This can range from a child's beach toy to the metal contraptions sold locally
and known as "Florida snow shovels."
Cloudy, Florida skies on our return trip.
Back to our resort, Westgate Blue Tree.
From our balcony we can see this little mini golf course.
The Florida flamingo!
It rained suddenly again this afternoon and evening.
Out to dinner at Landry's.
I ordered the Mahi Mahi....delicious!
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