For Ryan

Here are some pictures of Florida wildlife for you. Some of these animals you got to see when you were visiting. Some of them I have seen myself. Some of them I would be too scared to see in real life.

Animals You Saw in Florida


This is the pelican. We saw these big birds flying over the beach. They dove down into the water to catch fish in their big mouths.



This is the seagull. That ain't no pelican, that ain't no pelican! That's a seagull! That's a seagull!



This is the egret. They eat small fish and other seafood. They also like to hang out near people and eat people food. When I first moved to Florida, I saw an egret swallow a raw chicken leg. Weird!




This is the heron. They are bigger and darker than the egret.



This is the dolphin. You saw dolphins almost every day from the balcony. They like to swim together and jump out of the water. Did you know that a dolphin never goes to sleep all the way? When a dolphin needs to sleep, they let one half of their brain sleep while the other half stays awake. Then the other half of their brain gets to sleep and the first half stays awake!

Animals I Have Seen

This is a opossum. They are very very big here in Florida. They like to eat out of trash cans. I think they are a little scary.



This is an armadillo. They are gentle and they are slow. I helped one across the street once. I blocked the cars to make sure he did not get hit.


Animals That I Don't Want to Run Into


This is the alligator. I have seen these once or twice in person. People sometimes feed the alligators. That is dangerous. Alligators like to live near water. They will eat fish or small animals. Sometimes they will eat a cat or dog, if the pet owner is not careful. Alligators have been in Florida for a long time, longer than people have been here. Alligators live anywhere from 35 to 80 years.


This is the Florida Panther. They are an endangered species. They are fewer than 100 panthers left in Florida. The panther is the official state animal of Florida. They eat deer, hogs, raccoons, opossums and rabbits.