Magens Bay is frequented by many birds – including gulls, pelicans, boobies, terns, egrets, herons, doves, and thrashers (trushies) – and even the occasional bat. The most commonly spotted terrestrial animals are lizards, including iguanas. You might also see invasive mongooses or stray dogs scavenging. Crabs scamper in and out of holes in the sand. And as the sun sets, you can hear frogs whistling and crickets chirping.
In good visibility snorkelers at Magens will likely see green sea turtles over areas with turtle grass (look for their heads surfacing before you get in the water), as well as other marine life, such as southern stingrays over sand patches, small crabs, and a variety of small fishes, including palometa and trunkfish, and perhaps larger fish such as tarpon and the occasional barracuda. You may be lucky enough to find spotted eagle rays, reef squid, baby sharks (try looking in very, very shallow water on the far southwest end of the bay in the spring & summer), and conch. If you're extra lucky, you might even catch sight of visiting dolphins or whales.
Atlantic ghost crabs
Green iguana
Bottlenose dolphins
Green sea turtle
Brown pelican
Spotted porcupinefish
Check out the photo albums below. (Contributions welcome!) We also maintain a wildlife sightings spreadsheet and other resources.
Check out the Kids section of this site for animal-related educational activities & resources, such as coloring books.