Identificaciones de moran_s_009

This is the caterpillar of a monarch butterfly. It had yellow, black, and white stripes all over it’s body. In the third picture, the head of this caterpillar was on the left where the antennae was placated, thorax in the middle, and abdomen on the right where there was actually poop from the insect. It was about 2 inches and was found eating the milkweed plant which is poisonous to most animals. According to The National Wildlife Federation, “...monarchs have evolved immunity to these toxins. As they feed, monarch caterpillars store up the toxins in their body, making them taste bad, which in turn deters their predators.” This monarch caterpillar was found on milkweed in a dry field. An article by the Florida Gardener stated that, “Monarchs can be found in open areas in all regions of Florida year-round... they do not migrate out of the state during the winter.” Monarchs are protostomes because they are invertebrates which means that their blastopore becomes the mouth. They are part of the Ecdysozoa clade since they go through complete metamorphosis and molt. The larval stage of the monarch, seen in these pictures, are a caterpillar that forms a chrysalis and turns into a butterfly.
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Monarch-Butterfly
http://www.floridagardener.com/critters/Insect_Pests/Milkweedcat.htm

This Barred Owl was observed sitting on a branch of a tree growing from a swamp that formed along the lake near the boardwalk at lettuce lake park. This owl observed was approximately sixteen to nineteen inches in length; Barred Owls are typically 16.9 to 19.7 inches in length [1]. This Barred owl was overall white and brown in color; the front body of the owl was white with consistent brown markings overall, while the feathers and back body was brown with consistent white markings or barred patterns overall. Also, the Barred owl's beak was light yellow in color. The habitat in which this barred owl was observed comprises of forested area with lakes, which is typical to the common habitat in which barred owls are found which are mature forests near water and wooded swamps [1&2]. The barred patterns observed overall on the body are defining features for this species of owl, hence the name "Barred Owl" [1].
The geographic distribution of this species suggests that it is commonly found in Florida and Southern and Eastern states of North America across all seasons [2].

References-
[1] Barred Owl Identification, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Barred_Owl/id (accessed Mar 31, 2020).
[2] Barred Owl. https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/barred-owl (accessed Mar 31, 2020).

Webbed feet with 5 fingers. Long tail that curls at the end. scales, eyes on side of head, ectothermy

Resources:

http://reptile-database.reptarium.cz/species?genus=Anolis&species=sagrei

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Norops_sagrei/