The Explorer’s Guide to Viewing Florida Wildlife

A WORK IN PROGRESS …

“I do not understand how anyone can live without one small place of enchantment to turn to.”
― Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Why spend your time waiting in long lines at some overpriced theme park hoping for some “processed fun” when you can avoid the crowds, step outside and experience “authentic Florida” surrounded by amazing wildlife? Use the quick Florida wildlife guide below and seek out some of Florida’s wild places before the entire Sunshine State is entirely overrun with housing developments, condos, fast-food restaurants and strip malls. With some patience, determination and advance research, you may even be able to spot some of the following Florida fauna in its natural habitat:

Alligators: Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park (Wakulla Springs), Everglades National Park, Highlands Hammock State Park (Sebring), Hillsborough River State Park (North Thonotosassa), Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive (Apopka), Lake Griffin State Park (Fruitland Park), Myakka River State Park (Sarasota)

Bald Eagles: Lake Kissimmee State Park (Lake Wales), Lake Talquin State Park (Tallahassee), Oscar Scherer State Park (Osprey)

Bisons: Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (Micanopy)

Black Bears: Ocala National Forest

Bobcats: Lake Kissimmee State Park (Lake Wales), Myakka River State Park (Sarasota), Northern Peninsula State Park (Ormond by the Sea), Oscar Scherer State Park (Osprey), St. Lucie Inlet State Park (Stuart)

Dolphins: Cayo Costa State Park (Captiva), Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park (Niceville), Henderson Beach State Park (Destin), Lovers Key State Park (Ft. Myers Beach), Mound Key Archeological State Park (Estero)

Eastern Fox Squirrels: Three Rivers State Park (Sneads)

Florida Scrub Jays: Jonathan Dickinson State Park (Hobe Sound), Lake June in Winter Scrub State Park (Sebring), Lyonia Preserve (Deltona), North Peninsula State Park (Ormond by the Sea), Oscar Scherer State Park (Osprey)

Gopher Tortoises: Colt Creek State Park (Lakeland), Gasparilla Island State Park (Boca Grande), Hidden Waters Preserve (Eustis), Highlands Hammock State Park (Sebring), North Peninsula State Park (Ormond by the Sea), Oscar Scherer State Park (Osprey), Silver Springs State Park (Ocala), Split Oak Forest Wildlife and Environmental Area (Orlando), Stump Pass Beach State Park (Boca Grande)

Key Deer: National Key Deer Refuge (Big Pine Key)

Loggerhead Sea Turtles: John D. MacArthur Beach State Park (North Palm Beach), Sebastian Inlet State Park (Melbourne Beach)

Manatees: Blue Spring State Park (Orange City), Big Bend Power Station (Apollo Beach), Cayo Costa State Park (Captiva), Charlotte Harbor State Park (Punta Gorda), Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge (Crystal River), Don Pedro Island State Park (Boca Grande), Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park (Homosassa), Gasparilla Island State Park (Boca Grande), Jonathan Dickinson State Park (Hobe Sound), Koreshan State Park (Estero), Lovers Key State Park (Ft. Myers Beach), Manatee Observation & Education Center (Fort Pierce), Manatee Springs State Park (Chiefland), Mound Key Archeological State Park (Estero), Stump Pass Beach State Park (Boca Grande)
North Atlantic Right Whales: Amelia Island State Park (Jacksonville)

Ospreys: Honeymoon Island State Park (Dunedin), Lake Griffin State Park (Fruitland Park)

Pileated Woodpeckers: Highlands Hammock State Park (Sebring)

Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers: Ochlockonee River State Park (Sopchoppy)

Red-Shouldered Hawks: Highlands Hammock State Park (Sebring)

River Otters: Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park (Niceville), Koreshan State Park (Estero), Little Talbot Island State Park (Jacksonville), Rainbow River (Rainbow River Canoe and Kayak, Dunnellon)

Sandhill Cranes: Dunns Creek State Park (Pomona Park), Lake Kissimmee State Park (Lake Wales)

Tarpon: Robbie’s Marina (Islamorada)

White-Tailed Deer: Colt Creek State Park (Lakeland), Fort Cooper State Park (Inverness), Gold Head Branch State Park (Keystone Heights), Highlands Hammock State Park (Sebring), Lake Kissimmee State Park (Lake Wales), Myakka River State Park (Sarasota), Northern Peninsula State Park (Ormond by the Sea), St. Andrews State Park (Panama City)

Wild Horses: Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park (Micanopy)​

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