ESTURARIES

MOBILE BAY

• Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within Alabama
• Its formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula and Dauphin Island
• Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the bay
• Mobile Bay is the fourth largest estuary in the United States

RED BELLIED TURTLES

• Restricted to the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta in Mobile bay
• Found in shallow vegetated backwaters that are adjacent to Mobile bay
• Feeds on submergent aquatic macrophytes
• Nest from April to early August with a peak in July.
• Female turtles leave their aquatic environment and lay eggs on dry land