BFRO #39014: Passenger on I-75 spots a large animal near Myakka State Park
📍 Location
Near I-75 and Myakka River State Park, Sarasota County, Florida, Sarasota, FL
Specific Location: Interstate 75 near the northern vicinity of Myakka River State Park (west of park entrance, along I-75 in Sarasota County, FL)
Coordinates: 27.43333, -82.43000
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27.4333°, -82.4300°
📝 Description
My husband and I were driving home on I-75, the day after Christmas. Our car just started to accelerate after being in traffic for over an hour due to an accident. My husband was watching the cars closely and I was observing the environment on my left side, as I normally do on a road trip. I looked over to my right and saw something large and black about a football field distance away. At first it looked like it wasn't moving, but I kept watching and after a few seconds I saw an arm extend and it move forward towards the woods. My first instinct was to think it was a bear, but then as I continued to fixate on the animal, I realized it had very long black hair and was extremely broad in the shoulder/lat area. I continued to watch it move forward very slowly and realized it was in a crouched position but looked as flat and large as the top of a car, from my view. The whole experience was very surreal to me and I think I'm still in shock. The whole length of my viewing time was approximately 5-7 seconds.
🔍 Circumstances
No
🌤️ Weather Conditions
around 11:00 a.m.
ℹ️ Additional Details
around 11:00 a.m.
🔗 Sources (1)
👥 Community Contributions
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Case Information
- Case ID
- cmiyet3l000yu8fys5atg9nvb
- Primary Source
- BFRO
- Added to Map
- December 9, 2025
- Last Updated
- December 10, 2025