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    PAID CONTENT FOR VISIT FLORIDA
    With 1.3 million of the scaly reptiles, Florida is literally crawling with alligators. Conservation efforts saved these survivors of the dinosaur age from extinction, and they remain a vital part of the ecosystem. You’re likely to see one, or several, gators if you go looking for them; in fact, you can expect gators in virtually any body of water in Florida. Southwest Florida offers many opportunities for seeing these prehistoric creatures in captivity or the wild. They are omnipresent in subtropical Florida, especially the Everglades.
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    Nothing pleases the heart more than the sight of wild dolphins frolicking in the wake of your boat. Take a jaunt with Dolphin Explorer out of Marco Island to spot dolphins and, if you wish, help with a research project. Estero Bay at Fort Myers Beach is also known for its wild dolphin population. You’ll almost certainly see dolphins in this sheltered waterway, part of the 190-mile Great Calusa Blueway paddling trail.
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    Sometimes called sea cows, manatees are the generously proportioned creatures that take to Florida’s warm Gulf Coast waters. These gentle mammals might hang out in the discharge canal at Florida Power and Light in Fort Myers. Manatee Park, just opposite, is a wintertime haven for large concentrations of manatees. You can also spot them on a kayaking trip or a manatee swim tour from Bonita Springs and Naples, or at the Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach.
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    While you’re unlikely to see one of these tawny cougars in the wild, video from remote wildlife cameras offer a glimpse of their secretive lives. Their population was down to around 20 in the 1970s, mostly from habitat loss, but conservation efforts have boosted that number by more than ten times. Relatives of the mountain lion of the West, the panthers of South Florida are the only known cougar population east of the Mississippi.
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    With beautiful long-legged herons and egrets, flights of pelicans low to the water, and flighty warblers that travel 3,000 miles from the tropics, southwest Florida is a haven for birds. Serious and casual birders appreciate the Great Florida Birding Trail’s network of 510 wildlife viewing sites that range from lovely beaches to lost-in-time wetlands. Sought-after species include roseate spoonbills, flamingoes, swallow-tailed kites, the rare Florida burrowing owl, and the yellow-billed cuckoo.
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    Two or three times a season, female sea turtles swim to beaches to dig a nest and lay 100 or more leathery eggs and then lumber back into the ocean. Nearly 90 percent of U.S. sea turtles nest in Florida from March to October. That means more than 100,000 threatened and endangered turtles come to Florida’s beaches to keep their species going. Join a turtle watch in Naples (pictured here) or in many other Southwest Florida beauty spots to behold the miracle of turtle nesting. Alternatively, you can also see captive turtles at a number of nature centers throughout the state.
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    Whether you see them in an aquarium, on a snorkeling expedition, or at the end of a line, Florida’s fish are abundant in species and number. That’s why the area is known as “The Fishing Capital of the World.” Florida owns more than 900 world records for fish catches, more than any other state or country. Some of the top fish that anglers go for are snook, tarpon, sailfish, spotted sea trout, and largemouth bass. Red snapper once died by the millions in shrimp trawls, but new regulations have helped the species recover.<br>
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    Some 4,000 black bears roam the forests of Florida, in search of honey, honeybees, fruits, nuts, twigs, and small animals. Their claws are curved for climbing trees, and they have a range of about eight to ten square miles. Florida’s black bears are down to 45 percent of their historic range and about 35 percent of their pre-European population. They’ve managed to hang on despite heavy development.
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    With 1.3 million of the scaly reptiles, Florida is literally crawling with alligators. Conservation efforts saved these survivors of the dinosaur age from extinction, and they remain a vital part of the ecosystem. You’re likely to see one, or several, gators if you go looking for them; in fact, you can expect gators in virtually any body of water in Florida. Southwest Florida offers many opportunities for seeing these prehistoric creatures in captivity or the wild. They are omnipresent in subtropical Florida, especially the Everglades.

    Alligators

    With 1.3 million of the scaly reptiles, Florida is literally crawling with alligators. Conservation efforts saved these survivors of the dinosaur age from extinction, and they remain a vital part of the ecosystem. You’re likely to see one, or several, gators if you go looking for them; in fact, you can expect gators in virtually any body of water in Florida. Southwest Florida offers many opportunities for seeing these prehistoric creatures in captivity or the wild. They are omnipresent in subtropical Florida, especially the Everglades.
    Image Credit: Keith Ladzinski
    • Animals
    • Photo Gallery

    Southwest Florida is for animal lovers

    Florida’s backwaters and woods, beaches and bays teem with wildlife that will dazzle you with its beauty.

    Published April 22, 2021

    With much of southwest Florida relatively undeveloped, the region continues to be a home to all manner of colorful birds, fascinating reptiles, underwater creatures, and furry animals. Whether you see them in the wild or in captivity, these longtime natives embody the essence of native Florida.

    View the photo gallery to explore all the incredible wildlife you can encounter when traveling in southwest Florida!

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