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In the summer of 1521, the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon lay dying on a Florida beach, mortally wounded during a skirmish with a native tribe. Drawn by tales of crystal clear springs bubbling with glittering flecks of silver and gold, the aging adventurer had come seeking the legendary fountain of youth. Instead of finding immortality, however, the trip cost Ponce de Leon his life.
Florida's springs are home to many alligators. |
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But the sparkling springs were no fantasy -- as NATURE's SPRINGS ETERNAL: FLORIDA'S FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH shows. In an amazing underwater tour, SPRINGS ETERNAL takes viewers down into Florida's magical transparent pools, where toothy alligators lurk and lumbering manatees slumber. The filmmakers even follow researchers deep into the earth, diving into the dark and mysterious underground rivers that feed the springs.
Ponce de Leon named his landfall "La Florida," meaning "land of flowers." But Florida is just as famous for its springs, which spew out billions of gallons of fresh, cool water every day. The state boasts more than 350 gushers, one of the highest concentrations in the world. The reason for the watery bounty can be found underground, where porous limestone bedrock provides plenty of nooks and crannies for water storage. The bedrock, in fact, is riddled with flooded underground caverns.
Most of the wildlife action, however, is to be found in the remarkable pools and rivers formed by the springs. Shoals of fish drift in the lazy currents, including some oceanic species that swim up from the sea each winter to enjoy the warmer water temperatures. Rich carpets of rippling aquatic grasses carpet the sandy floor, attracting grazing manatees, the gentle marine mammals also known as sea cows. The springs are also known for a more ferocious inhabitant: the American alligator. Indeed, alligators are so common that Ponce de Leon's fountains of youth might better be called fountains of tooth.
The large reptiles, which can grow up to 12 feet long, predate the dinosaurs. Having changed little in the last 65 million years, these living relics have managed to elude extinction. Only human exploitation has hampered their success. In Florida, for example, alligator populations plummeted due to spiraling demand for their leathery hides, which were made into everything from boots to wallets. Between 1930 and 1940, over one million alligators were killed in Florida alone. In the 1970s, however, stiffer regulations allowed populations to rebound. Today, they are quite common again, living proof of the power of foresighted conservation policies.
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