Adventures in Critter Hunting

I remember spending a lot of my time as a kid hunting for various types of critters- lizards, frogs and sometimes a turtle if I got lucky. And now I’m getting to do it all over again with my 8-year-old son.

Florida has a never-ending supply of critters to catch, so I got him a critter keeper, or a Funarium as the one on Amazon is called, and we’ve filled it with various critters, but always with the rule that they only spend one night in “jail” before being released.

My mom never gave me that rule, and I ended up with a lot of dead critters. I’m trying to make up for it a bit now by making sure whatever we catch is released without harm.

Lizards, Skinks and Frogs

The most frequent residents of the critter cage are Anole lizards, also known as Anolis. We regularly go out lizard hunting and can almost always catch a few. These lizards are just a regular part of daily Florida life, and we often find them both inside and outside the house. They will bite you, but it doesn’t hurt and just feels like a light pressure. When I was little, I recall the neighborhood boys putting them on their ears and wearing them like earrings to freak out the girls.

Anoles are known for their ability to change color, a trait that helps them blend into their surroundings and communicate with other lizards. We most often spot them in bright green or mottled brown colors.

Depending on the season, sometimes we have tons of frogs on a rotating basis taking up residence. One time we had about 30 baby frogs at once!

One of the critters I won’t let my son catch with his hands is a skink. These get really big and have bigger teeth! Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae, known for their sleek bodies, shiny scales, and quick movements. They look almost snake-like, especially when they flick out their tongues.

Skinks have about 40 small yet sharp teeth and can actually break the skin with their bite. They aren’t poisonous, but I still don’t want us to get bit by one!

Catching a Skink

We tried catching a skink yesterday, without much success. I did get him on camera though:

So, what critters do you catch with your kids? Have you kept any as pets?