Tag along with these wildlife experts for animal adventures in the Tampa Bay area:

• Grad a paddle and go along with nonprofit Tampa Bay Watch, which keeps track of the estuary’s health. (727-867-8166, www.tampabaywatch.org).

• Combine a day on the beach with a free guided nature tour at Fort DeSoto Park, what TripAdvisor ranked as the No. 1 beach in America. (727-582-2267, www.pinellascounty.org/park/05_Ft_Desoto.htm)

• Other county and city parks also offer guided wildlife tours for little or no cost. Learn about coastal wildlife and Native American heritage at Weedon Island (727-453-6500, www.weedonislandpreserve.org), wetland wildlife at Brooker Creek Preserve (727-464-3347, www.pinellascounty.org/Events/Events_newsrel.htm#guidedhikes) and amphibians and reptiles at the 245-acre Boyd Hill Nature Preserve in St. Petersburg (727-893-7326, www.stpete.org/boyd).

• Get closer to the rhinos at Busch Gardens Africa’s Saving a Species Tour or feed and care for giraffes and antelopes on a Keeper for a Day Tour (888-800-5447, www.buschgardens.com).

• Make education wild at Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, which offers summer camps for kids and behind the scene experiences for adults (813-935-8552, www.lowryparkzoo.com)