GTA 6 Animals: Every Species Spotted in Leonida So Far

Florida is one of the most wildlife-dense places in America, and Rockstar is leaning all the way in. GTA 6's state of Leonida recreates that ecosystem across swamps, keys, farmland and national park — and according to Rockstar's developers, the full game will feature over 170 animal species, including more than 60 types of birds and over 30 land mammals. That is Red Dead Redemption 2 territory, and it shows: GTA 6's official trailers, screenshots and gameplay footage are crawling with creatures. Here is every species spotted so far.

Land Animals

• Armadillo
• Bear
• Beaver
• Boar
• Bobcat
• Cat
• Cougar / Florida Panther
• Cow
• Deer
• Dog
• Fox
• Frog
• Green Iguana
• Land Turtle
• Otter
• Possum
• Raccoon
• Rat
• Rhesus Macaque
• Skunk
• Snake
• Squirrel
• Toad

The Florida panther is the headline here — Rockstar's version of the cougar that stalked players through Tall Trees in Red Dead, now native to Mount Kalaga National Park. Between bears, bobcats and boars, Leonida's wilderness is clearly not just scenery.

Birds

• Cormorant
• Crane
• Duck
• Eagle
• Flamingo
• Heron
• Pelican
• Pigeon
• Seagull
• Spoonbill
• Stork
• Woodpecker

Twelve bird species spotted, against a promised 60-plus — the skies over the Leonida Keys and the swamps around Port Gellhorn are going to be busy. Flamingos and spoonbills give the wetlands their unmistakable Florida colour.

Aquatic Animals

• Alligator
• Dolphin
• Eel
• Fish (multiple species)
• Jellyfish
• Manatee
• Manta Ray
• Sea Turtle
• Shark
• Whale

Alligators are the signature animal of the whole game — they turn up in swamps, flooded streets and shops in the trailers, and they are very much not decorative. Sharks return for the open ocean, while manatees and manta rays fill out the Keys' shallows.

Where the Wildlife Lives

Leonida's animals are placed the way Florida's are: alligators own the swamps and waterways, panthers and bears haunt Mount Kalaga National Park, and manatees drift through the warm shallows of the Keys. Port Gellhorn's wetlands are spoonbill and flamingo country, while Vice City itself gets the urban survivors — raccoons in the bins, stray cats and dogs on the streets, pigeons everywhere. Even the zoos join in, displaying species you can also find wild if you would rather meet them on their own turf.

Hunting, Fishing and Legendary Animals

Wildlife is not just set dressing. Hunting and fishing are confirmed side activities in GTA 6, and Rockstar has confirmed the game carries animal rarities in the style of Red Dead Redemption 2 — including Legendary creatures for dedicated hunters to track down. Studying and interacting with animals returns too: official footage shows Jason stopping to pet a dog, a small moment that signals how much of RDR2's animal behaviour work has crossed over. Expect an animal compendium to fill in, and expect it to matter for anyone chasing 100% completion.

Can You Keep a Pet in GTA 6?

Not confirmed — yet. Rockstar has not announced an ownable pet system, but the second trailer plants a tease in Jason and Lucia's home: a snake enclosure sits in their living room during a cutscene, which strongly suggests the pair keep a pet snake in the story at least. It would be a first for the series in a real sense — Franklin had Chop in GTA 5, but Chop was a companion, not a pet you chose and kept. For now, pets in GTA 6 exist on screen, not in a menu.