Raccoons

Raccoons eat a varied diet of plants and animals. Plant foods include grains, acorns, wild berries and fruits. Animal and insect foods include frogs, clams, mice, rabbits, white grubs and beetles, to name just a few. Raccoons also feed on the eggs of birds.

Raccoons are usually found near trees because they are adapted to life in the forest. They are great climbers and have strong feet, but they are flat-footed like humans and bears. Using their sensitive front feet, they catch their prey in and around water, and use their front feet to bring food to their mouths holding it while they eat.

Alligators

Having been hunted almost to the brink of extinction, this reptile has made an amazing comeback in recent years, inhabiting almost every body of water in Florida. The alligator is a very important part of our wildlife heritage, and

Alligators are carnivorous reptiles whose primary feeding time is at night. Small alligators will eat snails, frogs, insects, and small fish. Larger gators will eat fish, turtles, snakes, waterfowl, small mammals, and even smaller alligators.

One of the most important rules is should you see an alligator in the wild...Leave It Alone. Alligators are not to be feared, but they are to be respected.

Manatees

Manatees can be found in shallow, slowmoving rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays, canals and coastal areas. Manatees are an endangered, migratory species.

Manatees are gentle and slow-moving. Most of their time is spent eating, resting, and in travel. Manatees are completely herbivorous. They eat aquatic plants and can consume 10-15% of their body weight daily in vegetation. They graze for food along water bottoms and on the surface.

The largest population of manatees is found in Florida, where 3,000 individuals now live.