Summary: A Guide To Florida's Wildlife

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A Guide to Florida’s Wildlife Most people associate Florida with a famous mouse called Mickey, a clumsy dog called Goofy and a loveable duck called Donald. However, despite throngs of tourists snapping countless photo’s with the aforementioned cartoon legends during memorable holidays to Florida, America’s sunshine state is home to a startling array of wildlife that would surprise most visitors. Let’s take a closer look at a few of Florida’s natural inhabitants. We’ve all heard of the famous Miami Dolphins NFL team, aptly named considering the plentiful population of dolphins off the Florida’s shores. However, there are other mammals parading the Floridian coastal waters in the unmistakable shape of manatees. Often called ‘sea cows’ and weighing…show more content…
With over 1m wild alligators in Florida versus a human population of 17m humans, there’s lots of opportunity for conflict. The beasts can grow to 12ft and their lethargic appearance has misled many a startled holidaymaker, within a flash they can snap their jaws and even run up to 30m.p.h. There are actually Gator Hunters operating in Florida to deal with the problematic reptiles. Obviously the animals know no boundaries but they do not seek human attacks and they usually try to avoid us, however sometimes things go wrong. Pestering, tormenting and throwing food to gators is usually the root cause. So if you’re planning a swim in fresh water, hoping for a spot of riverbank fishing or dangling your feet over the side of a kayak, be very, very…show more content…
Not that you’d be likely to see any of these bashful animals whilst on holiday but let’s point them out just in case. Rat snakes (alternatively called Chicken snakes due to their taste for chickens!) are so common across the state of Florida and easily tamed by humans that they’re often kept as pets, despite the likelihood that they’ll grow up to 6ft in length. Back in the wild though, they play a very important role in the local Floridian ecosystems by keeping rodents at bay, hence the name Rat snakes! Unlike the UK, some of Florida’s resident snakes are venomous to humans, here’s the deadly list; Copperhead, Cottonmouth, Rattlesnake, Timber Rattlesnake, Dusky Pigmy Rattler and the yellow striped Coral Snake. Rest assured, it’s very doubtful you’ll see any of these poisonous reptiles unless you visit Central Florida Zoo in

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