Gulf Islands National Seashore - Mammals (U.S. National Park Service)

Northern river otter running down the white sand beach.

Tom Messerall

River otter on the beach at Fort Pickens.

There is an opportunity to see land and sea mammals at Gulf Islands National Seashore. You can spot bottlenose dolphins from the beaches or see cotton rats, foxes, beavers, armadillos, raccoons and river otters at the Fort Pickens Area. The endangered Perdido Key Beach Mouse is found only on Perdido Key and the Santa Rosa Beach Mouse inhabits areas on Santa Rosa Island.

Two gray bottlenose dolphin with their heads out of the water.

Carrie S. Barry

Bottlenose dolphin spy-hopping.

Raccoons, squirrels, armadillos, river otters, swamp rabbits, nutrias, and black rats can be seen in the Davis Bayou Area in the Mississippi District. Atlantic bottle-nose dolphins are often seen while taking the passenger ferry from Gulfport, MS to West Ship Island.

Most mammals are terrestrial but some, including manatees, whales, and dolphins live in the water. Other mammals, like seals, come to land only to breed.