photobug74's Identifications

Visual Description: I observed a bird assumed to be a limpkin, which is in the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Class Aves, Order Gruiformes, Family Aramidae, Genus Aramus, and Species Aramus guarauna. The bird was approximately 2 feet in height with smooth brown feathers. It also had white spots on the feathers of the wings, neck, and face. The beak was long, straight, but slightly bent at the tip. The beak was also yellow with a darker tip. No reproductive structures were visible.
Habitat:
The bird was observed in Land O Lakes, Florida on a sunny warm day around 75 degrees Fahrenheit near a pond located in a marshy area with a lot of vegetation. The bird was alone and not currently interacting with other organisms. It did appear to be looking for food.
According to the guide, they are found near lakes, rivers, marches, and swamps in Florida. In the United States, they are found in Florida and southern Georgia. In Florida, limpkins are widespread in southern Florida. They are also found in Central America, the Caribbean, and most of South America east of the Andes Mountains.
References:

https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/waterbirds/limpkin/

Description: Reptile with large scales across its back. Has 4 relatively short legs. Snout is more rounded compared to crocodiles which are more pointed. Swims with the top of its head out of the water, which mostly likely helps it catch prey. Has a long tail which aids in movement. About the length of an average human male’s leg(35-40 inches)

Defining characteristics: Greenish brown in color, long tail, very sharp looking teeth, four legs, hind legs are primarily used to move. Because it is a reptile, it contains a vertebrae which is one of the reasons why it is a deuterosome.

Habitat: Freshwater areas include rivers and swamps as well as other wetlands. Pictures were taken in a swamp-like area filled with long trees and other vegetation. Range: Found in the Southeast United States and can stretch all the way to Texas.

Additional Information: The organism viewed was relatively small compared to some others. It’s behavior was calm when viewed. It was not interacting with other organisms, but almost went extinct a few years ago as a result of pollution and human interaction.

References:

https://nhpbs.org/natureworks/americanalligator.htm#3

This is a deuterostome found in a wetland area, also their species are known to have bred in large populations in Florida Everglades and their thriving capability relies on size and quality of nearby wetlands such as marshes, ponds, and flooded fields. Adding on, the family it belongs to: Threskiornithidae which identify under phylum Chordata including all birds and mammals are deuterostomes. Though some defining characteristics include vertebrates features. The organism was about 53cm tall I would say, but in terms of wingspan I would say approx. 95cm. The organism did not have particular shape, but the size was average not too big about the size of average human baby. Also reproductive features were not witnessed due to feather-like body structure. Like the ID, it has pink facial skin along with predominantly white skin color. A typical adult spends 13 hours resting and tending to their nests, 10.3 hours foraging, and are known to be very territorial often biting or lunging forward to indicate this.
ID url: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/3751-Eudocimus-albus#Breeding_and_lifespan

This organism has a round white body with an orange-yellow beak. It has feathers, wings, and a long skinny neck. The organism is about 1 m tall.
This observation was made in an urban area. It is a wild organism, since it lives without the help of people. I would classify it as a deuterostome and a vertebrate because it has a backbone, a defining characteristic to its taxonomic group, making it a part of the phylum Chordata.
Reference: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Egret/overview
They typically reside in North American wetlands.

I found this organism at the USF Campus in Tampa Florida between two roads so I would classify this habitat under the category of disturbed. Here I see a white small-medium egret shaped bird with a dark colored beak. The white body with the dark beak helps me to think this is a snowy egret. While it may be hard to see, I also observed blue/green legs which may be an evolved phenotype expressed by Snowy Egrets that are too young to reproduce, to keep older egrets away from them in that regard. These birds are found more populated in coastal regions but can be seen throughout the lower half of North America and throughout South America.

References:

University, C. (Ed.). (2019). Snowy Egret identification, all about birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. , All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Egret/id

University, C. (Ed.). (2019). Snowy egret sightings map, all about birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. , All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Egret/maps-sightings