The cinchona alkaloids are extremely bitter tasting. Concentrations in the 100 to 300 ppm range are used to flavor beverages such as tonic water. Tonic water contains about 15 mg of quinine per bottle. 14 Quinine may have tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-suppressive activity as demonstrated in one small study.
Skinks are the most common type of lizard native to Florida, and numerous species enjoy the mild, subtropical Florida climate. The southeastern five-lined skink is one of the most numerous off all skink species and can be found in nearly every part of Florida.
The Asian swamp eel, a non-native fish, has been found in canals, ditches, streams and ponds near Tampa and Miami, Fla. The species is spreading and has the capability of invading and harming freshwater ecosystems throughout the Southeast, including the already-besieged Everglades system, according to the U.S. Geological Survey scientists who found the species in Florida.