The animal world of the Everglades is quite compelling, together with the landscape they were the main attraction of our last trip down to Florida. The fascinating thing about them is that they keep on adapting and surviving against many odds. The Everglades ecosystem has been destroyed and tortured by encroachment of settlement, the drainage of the main body of water of Central Florida and many other environmental sins of smaller scale. Luckily everyone realizes the grave mistakes of the past and things are trying to be turned around. Some things can be fixed, others, like the expanding of housing due to overpopulation and retirement plans, cannot be fixed. Somehow the claims of humans and nature have to be compromised on, even if one side can manipulate better than the other. Another serious problem lies in the introduction of invasive species. Some complete ignorants have managed to spread highly aggresive plants and animals that have no natural enemies. For example the python is a killer on the roam, reproducing effectively and with nothing to fear. Annual python bounty-hunts are one approach, but it seems, to no big avail. One big loser of modern times, one that can´t adopt as quickly as others, who simply needs more time, but is running out of it, is the Florida panther. Extinct, or not yet? They have been spotted here and there, it is said that there are roughly 100 left. It is most certainly the next species to go, the next animal which can´t handle the pressure of so called development. Hope and common sense are the only things that Florida wildlife can count on. But this is up to others.

Some of them are interested in us, while some of us are far too interested in them. Florida chicken turtle.

Double-crested cormorant.

Master of disguise. Unidentified lizard/gecko.

Majestic juvenile bald eagle.

The mighty diamondback rattlesnake.

Great egret.

American alligator with young.

Little blue heron.

See more pics of the Everglades and Florida.