Pets/Wildlife

Sharon Thompson spotted this pygmy rattlesnake outside her home in Country Walk, in Wesley Chapel. Its tail’s tiny rattle is prone to breaking off. This snake gives birth to live young and does not lay eggs. It feeds on insects, frogs, lizards, small snakes, nestling birds and mice.

Rosie is a sassy little Morkie pup. She has been a huge blessing to her owner, Laura York, of Lutz, after Laura’s mother passed away.

These sandhill cranes were apparently upset when Karen Whitenton’s cat entered the yard, at her home in Lutz, and raised their ‘voices.’

This spicebush swallowtail butterfly’s beauty was captured by Marisol Fontanez, at the Blue Jay Mobile Home Park in Dade City. The butterfly is common in natural areas and flower gardens.

Sabre, a rescue pet, is a 9-year old pitbull/catahoula mix. She loves to swim and go camping. She understands more than 50 words and phrases. Sabre’s proud owners are Nancy and Jim Budinoff, of Wesley Chapel.

Jumping spiders are generally friendly to humans and are not harmful to people. They are carnivorous by nature, but tend to shy away from humans. But, keep yourself protected, as they can sting badly. All jumping spiders have four pairs of eyes. Ray Martinez photographed this jumping spider at his home in Lutz.

Patches is 12 years young, and a rescue dog. She wants to be every person’s friend. Enjoying the heat includes swimming in the gulf and cooling off with an ice cream treat! Patches’ proud parents are Jim and Sue Kirschten, of Land O’ Lakes.

Fran Sieradzki snapped this photo of a black-bellied whistling duck and its duckling, behind her home in Seven Oaks, Wesley Chapel. These ducks have high-pitched whistles as they travel from feeding fields to roosting sites. They often perch in trees and on logs over water. The whistling duck is found mostly in wetlands, in warm parts of the Americas, from Florida to northern Argentina.

Roo was found at a community park in Tampa. He was less than a year old, underweight and in pretty rough shape. The Wantuch family tried to find his owners for a month, but with no luck, they adopted him. He is named Roo (the ending of kangaROO) because his ears reminded the family of the animal, and he would bounce around in the grass. Roo welcomes Jackie Wantuch and family members home every day with a smile on his face — literally! Roo lives in Lutz.

Craig Mellinger loves nature photography. This squirrel photo was taken at Lake Heron in Lutz, where Mellinger lived for almost 15 years. Mellinger recently moved to Dade City, where he also hopes to take many pictures.