What Animals Are In The Water North Of Dauphin Island

With 600 miles of tidal bay and bayou shoreline, Alabama'south Gulf Coast region is all-time known for the rolling tide that ebbs and flows along its sandy white coastline. And while the relaxing sound of the waves and the comfortably warm weather are the main draws for most snowbirds, the Yellowhammer State as well offers the opportunity to find critters that aren't every bit common in other parts of the United States.

From dolphins frolicking in the bay to pelicans dive-bombing into the Gulf, here are a few animals to watch for along Alabama's Gulf Coast.

Sage Scott

Alligators

When I think of the swampy marshland of the Gulf Coast region, the first animal that comes to listen is the alligator. With its lumbering gait and toothy crooked "smile," this 600-pound reptile is synonymous with the American Southeast.

Although alligators are slow and clumsy on land, their powerful tails make them fast as lightning in the bodies of fresh water where they make their homes. And then while enjoying the lakes, ponds, and rivers along Alabama'southward Gulf Coast, be sure to keep an middle out for alligators. They typically hang out in groups (or congregations), and then if yous spot ane gator, chances are there are others nearby.

For a sure shot at seeing alligators along Alabama'south Gulf Coast, end by Alligator Alley. Located in Summerdale, Alabama, just west of the Baldwin Beach Express, Alligator Aisle is home to more than 200 alligators ranging in size from hatchlings to adults.

Sea Turtles

Due to illegal poaching, fishing practices, beachside evolution, and changing climate, sea turtles are listed on the World Wildlife Fund'southward endangered species list. But along Alabama's Gulf Declension, from Orange Beach to Dauphin Island, volunteers at the ocean turtle conservation program have helped more than fifty,000 ocean turtles hatch since 2003.

The best time to detect sea turtles is between July and October, near ii months after female body of water turtles have waddled ashore nether the cover of darkness to dig 20-inch holes in the soft sand and discreetly deposit nests of eggs. When the eggs hatch, baby sea turtles emerge from just beneath the sand and make their mode to the Gulf.

Information technology'due south important to notation that both developed females and hatchlings are nigh active on the beaches at dark, when they are less likely to be picked up past predators. This means that it may exist difficult to spot sea turtles when you visit. However, early risers who enjoy walking along the beach might see the telltale tracks of mommas or babies who headed out to the h2o before the sun rose.

Pro Tip: Read and adhere to these rules to support nesting and hatching ocean turtles.

Sage Scott

Bottlenose Dolphins

Several species of dolphins frolic in the Gulf of United mexican states and surrounding bays, just the nearly common is the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (like Flipper). Because bottlenose dolphins are adequately agile during the mean solar day, yous can spot them in the morning, afternoon, or evening. But to see these frisky marine mammals along Alabama's Gulf Coast, you'll have to get out on the h2o, and so plan to take a dolphin cruise, jump on a jet ski, or hop on a paddleboard.

Pro Tip: If you lot prefer to picket for dolphins on dry land (perhaps with a Bushwacker in hand), it'due south non uncommon to spot them from LuLu's in Gulf Shores or Tacky Jacks in Orangish Beach.

Blue Crabs

And so named because of their lapis blue legs and pincers, bluish crabs are some of the virtually mutual crustaceans y'all'll see along Alabama's Gulf Coast. They are typically constitute in the area's back bays during the summer months, and one of the all-time ways to see them is to larn a saltwater fishing license and go crabbing.

(Yep, a license is required — even if you plan to take hold of and release these crabby critters. There are exceptions for Alabama residents over the age of 65 and anyone under the historic period of 16.)

Jean Faucett / Shutterstock

Brown Pelicans

Information technology'south hard to spend time outside along Alabama's Gulf Coast and not see a chocolate-brown pelican gliding above the surf, keeping a watchful eye on the water below. And when he spots something that looks promising for dinner, he'll dive-bomb into the water.

Hitting the water at full speed, he'll fill his pharynx pouch with more than than 2 gallons of water and small-scale fish (similar herring and anchovies) that live near the surface. Equally rapidly as a chef separates an egg yolk from an egg white, he'll drain the h2o from his pouch and let the fish slide downwardly his throat and into his hungry belly. It'southward quite a sight!

Stingrays

If y'all accept to the water forth Alabama'due south Gulf Coast, one fauna that you may not want to come across is a stingray. After all, an Australian stingray was responsible for the tragic and untimely decease of the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. But in coastal Alabama, the about common stingray is the cownose ray. With a face that resembles the velvet-like sniffer of a dairy moo-cow, the cownose ray is constantly in motion, making it unlikely that you'll step on it when swimming.

Nonetheless, the region is also habitation to the southern stingray and the Atlantic stingray. Unlike the cownose ray, these cartilaginous creatures regularly burrow into the sandy lesser of the Gulf just a few yards from the shore. While stingrays aren't ambitious predators, they volition instinctively sting if disturbed. So, in order to avoid a trip to the hospital, be certain to shuffle your feet to permit the rays know you're coming when wading into the water along the Gulf of Mexico.

Pro Tip: Here'due south what to do if y'all are stung by a stingray.

To run across stingrays with naught risk of being stung, visit the Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Its 7,000-gallon stingray bear on pool holds four species of stingrays and skates and is designed to allow visitors to pet the stingrays every bit they glide by.

Sage Scott

Monarch Butterflies

One of the near spectacular things to witness along Alabama's Gulf Coast is the almanac monarch butterfly migration. Thousands of black wings accented with pumpkin orange and marigold yellow fill the sky, resting on trees and refueling on wildflowers. Monarchs flutter through Alabama twice a yr, in March and Apr when they travel northward for the summertime and again in September and October when they caput due south for the wintertime.

From frail monarchs to monstrous alligators and from sapphire-colored crabs to silvery dolphins, there are plenty of swell animals to look for forth Alabama's Gulf Coast.

Source: https://www.travelawaits.com/2489215/alabama-gulf-coast-wildlife/

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