The exotic animals that you may see in Disney's Animal Kingdom are not the only wildlife that you will see during a trip to the Walt Disney World Resort.


Although you may not see an alligator during your visit, you have a good chance of seeing an armadillo if you look closely while driving from one of the resorts to the parks along one of the many waterways. There are a wide variety of native Florida species that you will probably encounter.

Here are some pictures that captured some of Florida's native wildlife visiting the parks:
















This first picture is a rabbit that is attacking the railroad village in Germany in Epcot.















This bird hung out by the golf course at the Old Key West Resort and like to sun itself on this rock each afternoon. It is either an Anhinga or a Double Crested Cormorant. Regardless, this bird swims beneath the surface of the water looking for fish and dives totally under to catch the fish. Often you will see only the neck and head moving through the water like a periscope while the rest of its body is submerged. It is quite interesting to watch.

The squirrel depicted here was checking out the scenery at Stormalong Bay at the Beach Club Resort.

These lizards are everywhere you look at Walt Disney World. This one happened to be poolside at Stormalong Bay.

This heron (I believe) was spotted at the Saratoga Springs resort checking out the view of Downtown Disney.

Nature finds it's way into the Walt Disney World Resort on a regular basis. Although these aren't planned attractions these Florida Natives certainly look at home as they make their home in the resort and surrounding areas.

Remember that only one third of the land that Disney owns at the Walt Disney World Resort is currently developed. The rest is left as natural wetlands and areas that could potentially be developed at a future date.