Turtles and Marine Mammals

The rocky outcroppings and complex habitat, seasonally warm waters, and abundance of food at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary attract large ocean animals, also known as megafauna. The sanctuary is teeming with marine life, from sharks and dolphins to migratory sea turtles and whales.

Sea Turtles

A sea turtle with barnacles on its shell coming out from below a rocky ledge. — Loggerhead sea turtle (*Caretta caretta*)

Loggerheads are the most common sea turtle seen at Gray's Reef, but the southeast U.S. populations have declined due to bycatch in fishing gear. Photo: Greg McFall/NOAA

Sea turtles are marine reptiles with streamlined bodies and large flippers that are well-adapted to life in the ocean. Six species live in U.S. waters, all of which are listed and protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Loggerhead, leatherback, and green sea turtles use Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary. The female turtles lay eggs on the beaches of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida between late May and August.

Learn more about turtle research at Gray's Reef through this interactive StoryMap.

View photo galleries with the turtle species commonly found at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

Marine Mammals

Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary visitors sometimes see marine mammals. A marine mammal meets the characteristics of all mammals—they breathe air through lungs, are warm-blooded, have hair (at some point during life), and produce milk to nurse their young—while also living most or all of their lives in or very near the ocean. These animals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Gray's Reef is within the critical habitat and only known calving ground of the critically endangered North Atlantic right whale. Between November and April, North Atlantic right whales migrate south to give birth to whale calves. For more information about North Atlantic right whales and seasonal regulations in the sanctuary, visit NOAA Fisheries.

See the common marine mammals seen at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary through these photo galleries.

Studying Turtles and Marine Mammals

A single dolphin jumps out of the water — Bottlenose dolphin (*Tursiops truncatus*)

Bottlenose dolphins in the U.S. are not endangered or threatened, but they are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Photo: NOAA

All species of sea turtle found at Gray's Reef are currently listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Since 1997, sanctuary researchers have used several methods to better understand turtle movement and numbers. Learn more about sea turtles at Gray's Reef with this turtle StoryMap.

North Atlantic right whales are studied by NOAA Fisheries and several other groups using aerial surveys and reported sightings by boaters. To learn more about these efforts and what you can do to help protect these endangered species, visit NOAA Fisheries.