 From a dock, deck or the water’s edge, a manatee’s whiskery nose with valve-equipped nostrils is usually all that’s seen as it surfaces to breathe in inland waters. Swirling eddies, a flipper breaking the surface, or gas bubbles are often the only clues that manatees are in the neighborhood. Dolphin numbers worldwide have suffered in recent decades; however, local populations seem plentiful and visitors and residents alike delight in watching these friendly creatures play in the surf or in the wakes of recreational watercraft.
Hunted to the brink of extinction by whalers, the right whale was so named because it was the most desirable whale to harvest. Reaching up to fifty-five feet in length and weighing up to seventy tons, the slow-moving coastal inhabitant offered large quantities of blubber and baleen for market, and its carcass floated conveniently to the surface for easy retrieval. By the end of the 19th century, so few remained, they were no longer of interest to commercial whaling. The species received international protection in 1935; protected waters now include the Golden Isles of Georgia, where the females migrate from Nova Scotia each fall to give birth to their calves. A life-sized sculpture of a magnificent right whale and her calf is located near the Lighthouse in Neptune Park on St. Simons Island.
Though nocturnal and rarely seen, the American bobcat maintains a healthy population on undeveloped tracts of land. Foxes, deer, and aligators are occasionally spotted on area golf courses. Many courses offer more than just challenging rounds of golf. They are preserving valuable wildlife habitat.
MORE ABOUT:
Golfing | Fishing | Dining | Points of Interest
Lighthouse Museum | Fort Frederica | Christ Church | Avenue of Oaks | Marshes of Glynn | Coast Guard Station | Birding | Wildlife
Visit the St. Simons Island Travel Guide from AOL Travel.
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