IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern They have an anguilliform body plan This creature may appear menacing; however, it is only opening its mouth to breathe. Goldentail moray eels will continuously open and close their mouths as a requirement of their respiration process. These eels don’t have bony gill covers like a fish would have. Instead, goldentail eels […]
Cuban Brown Anole
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern These lizards are invasive to the southern United States, Hawaii, California, Mexico, and Taiwan As the name implies, this lizard is native to Cuba, and not Florida where this photo was taken. More specifically, this photo was taken in Everglades National Park. The Cuban brown anole is a highly invasive lizard species […]
Alligator Texture
IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern That’s as many alligators as there are people in Miami and Tampa combined! Possibly the best animal to convey our gallery theme of “Textures”, this is the American alligator. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission believe there to be ~1.3 million individuals in the state. That’s as many alligators as there are […]
Purple Spotted Sea Goddess
IUCN Conservation Status: Data Deficient This little purple spotted sea goddess measures in at about an inch This wild creature is a species of nudibranch called a “purple spotted sea goddess”. These ornate sea slugs are rarely seen by divers. This little guy measures in at about an inch. This particular species of nudibranch is only known to […]
Fakahatchee Strand
Fakahatchee Strand Fakahatchee Strand is known for its incredible biodiversity Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park is a swamp forest in southern Florida. The park runs north to south and the dimensions are roughly 20 miles long by 5 miles wide. It is a part of the Everglades hydrologic system. These waters eventually drain to the Ten Thousand Islands, […]
Redspotted Hawkfish
Redspotted Hawkfish – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern These fish can be very shy This is the only species of hawkfish we have in the Atlantic basin! This 2”-3” reef dwelling fish was common to see where I used to live, in the Florida Keys. However, this fish was also a challenging one to get a photo […]
Alligator Fakahatchee
Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park This alligator is in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park Look closely and you will see an alligator peeking its head above the water. This photo is from Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. This vast state park is actually the largest state park in Florida, encompassing more than 85,000 acres. Wild Boyz Photography […]
Alligator Close Up
Alligator – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern In colder weather alligators may even enter a state of hibernation Getting up close and personal with an alligator can sound intimidating! Matt and I are able to safely engage with nature by using the right equipment. In this case, it was a DSLR camera with a super […]
Calm before the Storm
National Data Buoy Center Things can change from calm to a storm in an instant The ocean is a dynamic environment. For anyone who has spent time on boats, this is something that’s always in the back of your mind. Things can change from calm to a storm even more quickly in the warm summer months, when […]
Halloween Pennant Dragonfly
Halloween Pennant Dragonfly – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern These dragonflies are only about 1.5 inches long! Let’s unpack this interesting name for this interesting creature. The primary body colors of orange and black make it easy to understand why it is called a “Halloween” dragonfly. The “Pennant” part of the name comes from this dragonfly perching […]