The Tampa Bay region is packed with things to see and do, from our rich arts culture to our emerging culinary scene to the outdoor recreation opportunities afforded by year-round sunshine. Our region has a lot to offer nature lovers, too. Outside the cities and beyond the suburbs, an extraordinary range of ecosystems exists, populated by unique creatures.
“You don’t have to go to Africa to see amazing animals. You can find them right here!” said Dr. Deby Cassill, the associate chair of the Department of Integrative Biology at USF St. Petersburg. “There's no place on earth that I would rather be living than in this incredibly diverse and fascinating plant and animal garden.”
From prehistoric predators to critters with remarkable superpowers, read on to discover some mind-blowing facts about the remarkable animal life that exists in our backyard. It’ll be wild!
This article is a follow-up to a previous piece, “The Tourist’s Guide to Famous Tampa Bay Animals.”
Is there any animal more quintessentially Florida than the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)? These enormous, aquatic reptiles look like prehistoric relics, with gaping, toothy maws; jagged, scaly skin; and piercing slit eyes. Adult males can reach up to fifteen feet long and 1,100 pounds, though some unverified specimens measured nearly 20 feet and weighed over a ton!
An apex predator with skin like armor and a bite force of nearly 3,000 pounds, alligators navigate Florida’s wetlands in stealth, their ridged backs resembling floating logs as their eyes peek above the water. When an alligator seizes its prey, it engages in a “death roll,” simultaneously drowning prey and ripping it up. That behavior serves an important purpose: Alligators can’t chew their food! They possess little strength to open their mouth, using their powerful jaws mainly for snapping down and clamping. They eat only once or twice a week.
If you’re near a body of fresh water in Florida, stay alert: There is almost certainly an alligator nearby. While alligators seldom attack humans, they are opportunistic, and you don’t want to give them an opening or encourage them to approach by feeding them, which is illegal. Gators usually keep their distance, though, sunning themselves along the shore to regulate their body temperature.
“In Florida, we have the most diverse species of scary animals anywhere,” Dr. Cassill said with all the enthusiasm of a career animal researcher. “If you want excitement, this is where you’ll want to live. If you want to be a gladiator, this is where you’ll want to come to learn.”
Alligators have many more astonishing features that have helped them stay on top for millions of years. They have excellent senses of hearing, smell, and sight, and possess two sets of eyelids: one that closes similarly to ours, and a second, transparent eyelid that closes sideways. This nictitating membrane acts like a pair of swimming goggles, allowing gators to see well in murky water. They have incredible lung capacity that increases as size does, with the largest males capable of holding their breath for up to 45 minutes.
While swimming, they can reach a top speed of 20 miles per hour — as fast as a bottlenose dolphin. They’re no slouches on land, either: The record for an alligator sprint is 27 miles per hour. Luckily for humans, they tire quickly and seem to think chasing us is a drag.
Perhaps the most incredible feature of alligators is their teeth. They maintain about 80 teeth at a time. As their teeth wear down, new ones emerge to replace them. A typical alligator will produce about 3,000 teeth in its lifetime. As Bobby Boucher’s Mama might say, “That’s a lot of teeth with no toothbrush!”
Really any Florida waterway will do, from the Hillsborough River to the pond at the center of any local subdivision, but nature preserves offer the best opportunity to safely observe gators in their element. We recommend Sawgrass Lake Park in Pinellas County or Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, where raised boardwalks get you close to the water and observation towers give you a good look at the whole landscape.
Walk down any sidewalk or trail in the Tampa Bay region and you’re all but guaranteed to spot a small reptile (or many!) scurrying to the safety of a nearby bush. Welcome to Florida; here, there be (tiny, harmless) dragons.
The main species of lizard in Tampa Bay is the Cuban brown anole (Anolis sagrei). They can reach up to nine inches from snout to tail tip, but most stay around the three-to-five-inch range. As the name suggests, they are usually brown to blend in with their surroundings, making them difficult to see unless they are in the open or moving. Brown anoles prey on insects, especially ants. They are valuable pest control agents and a key part of the ecosystem.
The green anole (A. carolinensis) is more rarely seen. With bright green skin, they spend most of their time high in trees, blending in with the foliage and hunting the same kind of prey as their brown cousins. They’re about the same size, too.
During mating season, which runs from spring to early summer, the males of both species will often find a spot to post up and flash their dewlap, a red flap of skin on their throat. They may also do “push-ups” or bob their head. This is usually a sign that a female is nearby — and a ritualistic fight with a competing male may be about to begin. “The females are looking to see who has the brightest dewlap,” Dr. Cassill observed. “They want to see who spends the most energy. They want symmetry and they want vigor.” In the fall, inch-long baby lizards with oversized heads emerge from their eggs. They’re adorable!
Both anole species can shed their tail when threatened. Disconnected from the body, the tail will squirm, distracting predators while the lizard makes its escape. The missing tail fully regenerates over about 60 days, although its color may be slightly off — the reptile equivalent to an “I Survived the Local Housecat” t-shirt. Lizards are the closest relative to humans that can regrow appendages.
Both anole species easily climb most surfaces and have an uncanny ability to squeeze through tight spaces, so Floridians find them in some unexpected places! If you see one in your room, relax: Our lizards are totally harmless and safe to handle. Just drop the little guy outside.
The most famous color-changing lizard is the chameleon, but anoles can change color, too, thanks to special, pigmented skin cells called chromatophores. Both the brown and green species can turn black to better blend in with surroundings or absorb more warmth while sunbathing.
Despite their similarities, brown and green anoles are not friends. Get ready for some tea.
Green anoles are native to Florida, but when humans began to sail between Cuba and Florida, brown anoles hitched a ride and found a perfect new habitat here, which was bad news for the greens. “Their abundance has dropped dramatically because they were probably foraging up and down, but now the ones that primarily foraged on the ground have been outcompeted by the browns,” Dr. Cassill explained.
But you can’t keep a good lizard down — especially when they can go up! The green anoles who lived high in trees are still thriving, even if the ground-based populations have been driven out. “Those lizards are one of the few animals that have found a niche — a habitat where food is plentiful and predators are not after them,” Dr. Cassill observed.
It’s tempting to cast the brown anoles as villains in this story, but Dr. Cassill urged us to shift our perspective. “We tend to label invasive species as bad when we actually created the problem. They were brought here, and they're just doing what they do naturally.”
Have you ever taken a good look around? If you did, you probably saw a lizard. Anoles are ubiquitous. They populate forests and cities alike, venturing out from their hiding spots throughout the day to hunt and catch some rays. They move quickly, though, so the best place to get a close-up look is on tree trunks, where their camouflage gives them the confidence to hold still. Occasionally, instead of a brown lizard, you might spot a green one in the same position!
Growing up in Florida, catching and releasing lizards was a favorite childhood activity. Brown anoles were easy and green anoles were a rare treat, but so many others were like our white whales: I can’t overstate how excited we’d get to see a slippery blue-tailed skink (Eumeces fasciitis); a nocturnal house gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia); or a peculiar eastern fence lizard (Sceloporus undulatus) with its bright blue belly. If you’re lucky, you might encounter one of these rarities, too!
Lizards are everywhere, but that doesn’t make them any less amazing!
The Tampa Bay region is full of beautiful bird species like the blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) and the northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos), Florida’s state bird, but what really sets us apart is the incredible array of aquatic birds that fill our skies and waterways.
Wading in the shallows of Tampa Bay’s many wetlands, you’ll see long-legged birds like the great blue heron (Ardea herodias), which can grow up to five feet tall. The roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) has a striking appearance, with bright pink feathers and a flat bill shaped like a spoon. The spoonbill also has a distinctive walk, slowly trudging forward while it sweeps its head side-to-side in the water.
The white ibis (Eudocimus albus), with its long, curved orange beak and piercing blue eyes, often ventures further from the water, shadowing herds of cattle alongside the western cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) — and often being lumped together by locals under the colloquial name “cowbirds.” As the cattle graze, they disturb insects that the small birds gleefully snatch up.
Other birds have a more dramatic approach to hunting. From up to 60 feet in the air, the brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) spots fish underwater with its keen eyes and performs a precise dive that would earn respect from any Olympian. Rather than submerging, though, the pelican stays on top of the water, where observers can rate its success or failure as it paddles around. Its iconic throat pouch acts as a net, scooping fish out of the water and then draining out before the prey is swallowed whole.
The osprey (Pandion haliaetus carolinensis) is a bird of prey with incredible vision, locking on to swimming fish from high above and snatching them out of the water with the mighty grip of its talons. You’ll know when you’re in osprey territory because they like to make their nests at the top of trees and manmade poles near the water — huge piles of sticks and branches.
Another bird of interest is the cormorant (Nannopterum auritum). This diving bird can swim underwater quite well. Unlike most other aquatic birds, cormorants lack oil glands to waterproof their feathers. Once it has eaten, it finds a sunny spot on land (often in a group) and strikes a pose almost like a shrug, wings out, holding this position long enough to dry.
Of the birds we mentioned, the roseate spoonbill is perhaps the most intriguing. There’s a reason for its strange appearance and walk: The tip of its bill is loaded with hypersensitive cell receptors that can detect even the slightest touch. When it sweeps its bill side-to-side, partially open, it’s hunting for crustaceans under the water without using its eyes. The instant its bill touches prey, it snaps shut. Feeding time!
The spoonbill isn’t born with its trademark feature, but each chick’s bill starts to flatten at nine days old, becoming fully spoon-like in a month. They are also a fantastic example of successful preservation. Like flamingos, spoonbills were hunted for their pink plumage and were nearly wiped out in the early 1900s, but today there is a thriving population across the coastal American Southeast.
These aquatic birds and many more captivating species can be found around any wetland or coastal preserve, like Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, Weedon Island Preserve in St. Pete, or Myakka River State Park in Sarasota. The Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail, a network of over 500 premier wildlife viewing sites across the state, is another attractive option.
Downtown Tampa along the Riverwalk is an overlooked place to spot these birds. Step onto any of the docks or harbors near Channelside and you’ll see pelicans diving and cormorants sunning, plus wading birds among the mangroves.
Don’t litter! Like many animals, birds can misidentify plastic as prey, choking or becoming too tangled to move. Discarded fishing lines are another manmade threat. Properly dispose of your trash and leave our waterways cleaner than you found them, for all our sakes.
Walking across an open field near Tampa Bay, you’ll likely spot a curious burrow. These excavations were performed by Florida’s native gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus), a digging reptile easily identifiable by its hulking, dirt-colored shell, shovel-like forelegs, and elephantine hindlegs.
These tortoises have incredible longevity, surviving up to 60 years in the wild. The tortoise is a keystone species in the Florida ecosystem; its burrows not only provide shelter for itself but also for more than 350 other species, including rodents, snakes, frogs, and bugs. A tortoise typically spends up to 80% of its time safe in its burrow, where the air is moist, the temperature is stable, and fire can’t threaten. (Wild or controlled, fire is an essential part of the gopher’s preferred ecosystem.) Fully herbivorous, they venture out to graze on low-lying vegetation.
Though they look unassuming from the outside, the average gopher tortoise burrow is 15 feet long and six feet deep, but some up to 40 feet long and 10 feet deep have been discovered. That’s even more amazing when you consider that gophers themselves are only about a foot long! Gophers will dig multiple burrows in their lifetime, too. That’s a lot of work for just a little guy, but an underground mansion is worth the effort!
As development has overtaken more and more of unspoiled Florida, species like the gopher tortoise have found many of their usual grazing grounds bisected by roadways. It’s not unusual to see a slow-moving gopher attempt to cross a busy street, and local drivers brake to let them pass. They are a protected species, but Florida law allows you to help a tortoise move in the same direction it’s headed. You can’t relocate them or put them in your car, though. That’s illegal and could lead to arrest just as much as intentionally killing a gopher or disturbing its nest. If you see a tortoise in the road, help keep it safe, but let it pick its own path.
Steven Spielberg’s 1975 masterpiece Jaws really gave sharks a bad rap, influencing generations of people to fear what lies beneath the waves. Since so much recreation in the Tampa Bay area revolves around the Gulf of Mexico, it’s natural to wonder: What’s the shark situation like around here?
Let’s make something clear first: Shark attacks are exceedingly rare worldwide, and virtually nonexistent in Tampa Bay, with years between singular attacks. Experts estimate that the odds of being bitten by a shark are at least one in 11.5 million. The last fatal shark attack in the entire Tampa Bay area was in 2000; before that, 1981. Be reassured: We have sharks in our waters, but they are not a threat to you. Rather, they are spectacular!
At least thirteen species of shark use the Gulf as a nursery, or pupping ground, including the bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas), tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), and hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran). Of these, only the bull shark is common year-round.
“The warm waters are stressful for most sharks,” Dr. Cassill emphasized. “They tend to be in the deeper pelagic regions, either hunting at the surface or below the surface, but in the colder waters.”
Bull sharks, named for their stocky builds and broad, flat snouts, are more aggressive than most sharks. Remember, though: That bar is low. They are responsible for most attacks on humans. Bull sharks are diadromous, able to handle both fresh and salt water, so they sometimes venture into estuaries or upriver, where interactions with humans are more likely. Fun fact: A bull shark attack may have inspired the story of Jaws!
Tiger sharks are named for the juveniles’ distinctive stripes, which fade as they age. A fearsome predator, they begin life in a fight to the death before ever leaving the womb! Of each cohort of pups, the most dominant will cannibalize its siblings until it alone emerges. That means we have a sort of undersea Hunger Games happening right in our backyard!
The hammerhead owes its name to its signature cephalofoil, which is equal parts metal detector and airplane wing. They hunt crustaceans and rays that bury themselves under the sand. With the unparalleled sensors found within the cephalofoil, a hammerhead can easily detect the electrical impulses emitted by hidden prey and snatch it up. The cephalofoil also produces lift in the water, allowing this agile hunter to quickly raise or lower its head and make sharp turns. Dr. Cassill pointed out another benefit of the hammer shape: “They can see behind them as well as in front of them. They have 360° vision! That's got to be cool.”
All sharks have remarkably durable skin, covered by a layer of placoid scales, which are made from enamel, the same material as teeth. This armor is a major factor keeping sharks at the top of the food chain. The only real threat to these apex predators is other sharks — and humans who don’t understand their essential role in the ecosystem.
“Sharks are wonderful creatures,” Dr. Cassill gushed. “They're good moms. A 24-month pregnancy? I don't want to go through that. Nine months is too much!”
She also pointed out that, unlike other fish, which usually produce eggs, about 80% of sharks give live birth. In some species, like the hammerhead, this process occurs very similarly to the placental births of mammals. Others, like the bull shark, gestate in individual eggs and hatch internally before emerging from the womb.
Mama sharks (doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo) arrive in the Gulf waters around Tampa Bay during the warmer months, ready to drop off their babies in relative safety and skedaddle back to deeper waters. The pups, already capable hunters at birth, will follow when they’re ready.
Instead of looking for sharks in the wild, visit the Heart of the Sea at the Florida Aquarium, an enormous tank that’s home to a few tiger shark specimens. A SeaTREK diving experience will get you up close and personal with these fearsome-looking fish in a controlled setting. The Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, USF Sarasota’s neighbor and collaborator, also has a fabulous aquarium gallery for shark observation.
Though sharks aren’t a threat to us, we certainly are to them. Sadly, Dr. Cassill reported a grim outlook for sharks. “They're in peril. They're remarkable survival machines, but they are not prepared to deal with the loss of their prey fish. They're starving because of our overfishing.”
You can help sharks by advocating for them. Shark flicks are fun, but they don’t represent reality, and they’ve made most people ambivalent or even hostile to sharks. Remind others that we can coexist with sharks, but only if we adopt sustainable fishing practices and leave them alone.
There are so many more fascinating creatures inhabiting the Tampa Bay region! We’ve barely scratched the surface. What will you discover here?
Our Gulf Coast Visitor Guide has the scoop on the best spots for nature lovers to visit, along with information about the art, food, sports, and attractions that make Tampa Bay one of the best places in the world to vacation, study, or call home. Check it out!
If you have a passion for wildlife, consider pursuing a degree in Biology at USF, where you can learn from esteemed professors like Dr. Cassill. Our students also enjoy excellent opportunities for hands-on research, taking advantage of the vast natural laboratory right outside our doors.
Start your application today, and email your questions to admissions@usf.edu.