Pictures of Florida's Wild Animals

Heron

     The heron is a shore dwelling bird. It wades in the shallow waters and patiently trys to catch things like small insects, slugs, and of course fish. These are very large birds, with their neck extended they are nearly as tall as a human. Note the unusual s-shaped neck below.


Hard to get this close to one, as like most birds the heron is a little skitish around humans. This Great Heron was unusually friendly. I'm really proud of this picture, so I have a bigger view.

Commonality list

This is my list of the likelihood of seeing various creatures based on my experiences. Of course, you have to be in the right habitat, the odds of seeing a Dolphin in the forest are not very good. Also, these are based a lot on my local area of Hillsborough County (Tampa). A hyperlink means some kind of info and probably some photos are available.

Common

If you are in the appropriate habitat, you should run into one of these. In many cases, you can't avoid them.

Uncommon

These are harder to find. You'll have to spend some time outdoors and probably look a little for these. However, odds are you'll find one after a little effort.

Rare

Difficult to find. Usually, it's just luck to find one, or you'll have to look very hard. You'll probably only see one every six months.

Ultra Rare

Very difficult to find. Most people, even people who spend a fair amount of time outdoors, like me, never see one. Consider yourself truely priviledged if you do catch a glimpse of one in the wild.

  • Bald Eagle
  • Florida Panther
  • Bobcat
  • Otter