Very rarely do you see alligators dead on the road. But lately there are more of them, as their habitats are encroached upon and they have lifted the ban on them being a protected species.

What we DO see a lot of are possums, raccoons, and turtles. And of course the Carrion Club is always around to clean up. We have a massive population of buzzards, which often end up cracking windshields. I slow down for them.

Last month heading over to the coast, a tractor trailer swerved in front of me so I slowed down. He had missed a HUGE soft shelled turtle on the highway. I stopped to move it to the ditch. Could barely lift it.... was about 80 lbs and three feet across. I always stop to help the turtles. People honk in respect while passing.

Nothing around the homestead here, just wasps, black widows and fire ants, and even THEY seem to have dropped off in population this year.
Wonder if last years' hurricanes had anything to do with that.

Neatest sighting I ever had here was spotting a magnificent Florida panther running along a fenceline on an interstate near Lake Wales again a few years back. I was totally mesmerized. They're around locally and mark their territory, which of course you can smell for a hundred yards or more...........