Florida Guide > Miscellaneous
Wildlife in Florida
Because Florida has a
tropical climate, there are many different varieties of wildlife than
you will find in the UK. Everyone
has heard about alligators, but there are lots of other different types
of wildlife too.
As a general
warning, please do not feed
any of the wildlife - not only can you be reported because it's against
the law but also bread and other human food is not a good diet for
creatures used to foraging for insects, fish, etc!
Please also don't get too close to them (they're not pets!) or
chase them.
These are some of the
wildlife you may see:
Eagles - there are different types, including bald eagles.
You may see these flying overhead around your rental home.
Vultures - again, different types but these include turkey vultures.
If you see a large bird
flying and circling, it could be either a vulture or an eagle.
There's a simple way to tell the difference which is to check if
they have spaces at the end of their wings (they look like 'fingers').
If they have spaces, then they are vultures but no spaces means
it's an eagle.
Cranes - these are large wading birds with long legs and there are
different varieties. One
common variety is the Sand Hill Crane which is grey with a red beak and
eyes and is around 4 feet tall.
You will probably either see these wading at the edge of lakes or
water areas, pecking at grass or flying overhead.
Egrets - lots of different varieties but a common one is a cattle
egret. This is white with
long legs and about 1.5 feet tall.
These also peck at grass and gather around lake or water areas.
Anhingas - are dark brown/black with large beaks.
You will probably spot these diving into deep water at the centre
of lakes for fish or sitting on the surface with their wings outspread
to dry after a dive.
Pelicans - usually seen at the coast, these have a long neck with a
pouch underneath their beak for holding fish.
You'll find them hanging around fishing boats or docks waiting
for a free meal from fish boats.
Frogs - there are lots of different varieties of frogs and toads,
ranging from brown through to green.
You may find these hiding at night in your garden so be careful
when you get back to your rental home in the dark that you don't tread
on them!
Snakes - again different varieties and some are venomous so don't
get too close! They like
warm places (like around the pool heater and pump) and are active during
the day when it's warm. At
night, they like a dark place to rest.
If you want to learn
about snakes, then a visit to Reptile World Serpentarium will provide
all the information you need as well as seeing an extensive display of
snakes from all over the world and watching a venom collecting
demonstration. This is
located on Highway 192 through St Cloud (opposite direction to Disney)
on the left side - it's set back from the road.
Insects - there's a vast array of insects, ranging from ants to the
praying mantis.
Raccoons - these are furry animals and have black and brown striped
tails. You may see them in
woodland or they may venture onto your rental home community to forage
the rubbish (make sure you put the lid tightly on your rental home bin).
Bob cats - wild cats which are larger than the domestic kind and
have pointed, tufted ears. They
are generally shy and you will be lucky to see one of these in the wild.
Bears - small brown bears which are also generally shy and not
widely distributed.
If you are interested in
wildlife generally, then a visit to the Disney Wilderness Preserve may
be interesting for you. This
is located in Poinciana (turn off Highway 192 onto Poinciana Boulevard).
http://nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/florida/preserves/art5523.html
Crescent Lakes rental home community is located next door to a
wildlife conservation area which has acres of woodland and uncultivated
areas and you can walk through it if you wish to try to spot some of
your favourites.
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