Dry Tortugas National Park

Area

64,701 acres

Established

October 26, 1992

Recreation visits

89,355 / yr

State

Florida

Highest point

Low sandy dunes, only a few feet above sea level

Lowest point

Gulf of Mexico and Florida Straits, sea level

Seven-day outlook at the park's reference point (24.629, -82.873). Elevation changes everything in the mountains — expect colder, windier and wetter conditions on high ground.

Landmarks

• Garden Key and Fort JeffersonIslandA 42-acre key almost entirely covered by the massive 19th-century brick fort.
• Bush KeyIslandThe nesting ground for sooty terns and brown noddies, closed to visitors during the breeding season.
• Loggerhead KeyIslandThe park's largest island, crowned by a lighthouse and fringed by coral reefs.
• Dry Tortugas LightAreaA tall brick lighthouse on Loggerhead Key, guiding ships through the dangerous reefs.
• Hospital KeyIslandA tiny key that once held a quarantine hospital for yellow fever patients.
• Middle KeyIslandA shifting sandbar that nearly disappears and reappears with storms and seasons.

The rocks

• Florida Platform carbonatesJurassic to present
  A carbonate platform thousands of meters thick beneath South Florida and the Keys.
• Key Largo LimestonePleistocene
  Fossil coral reef rock forming the foundation of the modern reefs.
• Modern coral reefsHolocene, last 6,000 years
  Living reefs built by star, brain and branching corals atop Pleistocene ridges.
• Carbonate sand keysHolocene
  Low islands of coral and shell sand that constantly shift with waves and storms.
• Seagrass and sand flatsHolocene
  Shallow soft-bottom habitats that trap sediment and shelter marine life.

• 155vascular plant species recorded

• Coral reefsShallow to about 100 ft deep
  About 30 species of stony coral build reefs sheltering hundreds of fish species.
• Seagrass meadowsShallow flats
  Turtle grass and manatee grass beds feed green sea turtles and nursery fish.
• Sandy beachesIsland shorelines
  Nesting sites for loggerhead and green sea turtles.
• Island scrub and dunesIsland interiors
  Sea oats, bay cedar and beach morning glory stabilize low dunes.
• Seabird nesting coloniesBush Key and adjacent islets
  The only large nesting colonies of sooty terns and brown noddies in the continental United States.

Trees

• Sea grapeCoccoloba uviferaA coastal tree with round, leathery leaves and grape-like fruit.
• ButtonwoodConocarpus erectusA salt-tolerant tree growing near island shorelines.
• Red mangroveRhizophora mangleIts arching prop roots line the edges of some keys.
• Black mangroveAvicennia germinansGrows in salty soils, sending up pencil-like breathing roots.
• White mangroveLaguncularia racemosaFound on Bush Key and other low islands.
• Coconut palmCocos nuciferaA non-native palm that grows on Garden Key near the fort.

Wildflowers, shrubs & other plants

• Bay cedarSuriana maritimaA salt-tolerant shrub with fragrant leaves and yellow flowers, providing nesting cover for noddies.
• Sea oatsUniola paniculataA tall dune grass that anchors shifting sand.
• Beach morning gloryIpomoea pes-capraePink-flowered vines creeping across beaches.
• Sea purslaneSesuvium portulacastrumA succulent groundcover of beach edges.
• Seaside heliotropeHeliotropium curassavicumA salt-tolerant herb with tiny white flowers.
• Sea rocketCakile lanceolataA pioneer plant of the upper beach.
• Erect prickly pearOpuntia strictaA cactus thriving in dry, sandy island soils.
• SaltwortBatis maritimaA succulent shrub of salty flats.
• Turtle grassThalassia testudinumThe dominant seagrass in the shallow waters around the keys.
• Manatee grassSyringodium filiformeA seagrass with cylindrical blades, grazed by green sea turtles.

• 6mammals
• 289birds
• 4reptiles
• 261fish

Mammals

• Common bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusFrequently seen in park waters.
• West Indian manateeTrichechus manatusAn occasional visitor to the seagrass flats.
• Short-finned pilot whaleGlobicephala macrorhynchusA deep-water whale occasionally seen offshore.
• Black ratRattus rattusA non-native species that threatens nesting seabirds.

Birds

• Sooty ternSterna fuscataTens of thousands nest on Bush Key from late winter through summer.
• Brown noddyAnous stolidusA dark tern nesting alongside sooty terns on Bush Key.
• Magnificent frigatebirdFregata magnificensThe park hosts the only nesting colony of this seabird in the continental United States.
• Masked boobySula dactylatraNests on Hospital Key, the only nesting site in the continental United States.
• Brown boobySula leucogasterOften seen perched on channel markers and buoys.
• Black noddyAnous minutusA rare tropical tern occasionally found among brown noddies.
• Royal ternSterna maximaA large, orange-billed tern fishing in park waters.
• Brown pelicanPelecanus occidentalisOften seen diving for fish near Garden Key.
• Peregrine falconFalco peregrinusHunts migrating songbirds during spring and fall migration.
• Antillean nighthawkChordeiles gundlachiiA Caribbean nighthawk that arrives in summer; its call gives it the nickname piramidig.
• Reddish egretEgretta rufescensA wading bird that dances in shallow water to catch fish.
• OspreyPandion haliaetusDives for fish in the shallow waters around the keys.

Reptiles & amphibians

• Loggerhead sea turtleCaretta carettaNests on Loggerhead Key and other park beaches.
• Green sea turtleChelonia mydasGrazes on seagrass beds and nests on the keys.
• Hawksbill sea turtleEretmochelys imbricataA critically endangered turtle foraging on the reefs.
• Leatherback sea turtleDermochelys coriaceaA rare visitor to park waters.

Fish

• Goliath grouperEpinephelus itajaraA giant grouper that can exceed 600 pounds, often seen near the fort.
• Great barracudaSphyraena barracudaA sleek predator common around the moat walls.
• TarponMegalops atlanticusLarge, silvery fish schooling around Fort Jefferson.
• Nurse sharkGinglymostoma cirratumA slow-moving shark resting on the seafloor.
• Stoplight parrotfishSparisoma virideGrazes algae from corals, producing sand.
• Blue parrotfishScarus coeruleusA vivid blue grazer of reefs.
• French angelfishPomacanthus paruOften seen in pairs on the reefs.
• Queen angelfishHolacanthus ciliarisA striking blue and yellow angelfish.
• Sergeant majorAbudefduf saxatilisA striped damselfish common near the fort's moat wall.
• Gray snapperLutjanus griseusSchools around coral heads and pilings.
• Bluestriped gruntHaemulon sciurusGrunts form dense schools in reef crevices.
• HogfishLachnolaimus maximusA wrasse that roots in sand for invertebrates.

Insects & other invertebrates

• Elkhorn coralAcropora palmataA threatened branching coral once dominant on shallow reefs.
• Staghorn coralAcropora cervicornisA threatened coral with antler-like branches.
• Mountainous star coralOrbicella faveolataA massive reef-building coral, listed as threatened.
• Boulder star coralOrbicella franksiForms large mounds on the reefs.
• Lobed star coralOrbicella annularisA threatened coral forming lobed columns.
• Pillar coralDendrogyra cylindrusA rare coral forming upright columns.

Species totals are the park's certified NPSpecies checklist (occurrence: present).

• AcadiaMaine
• BiscayneFlorida
• CongareeSouth Carolina
• EvergladesFlorida
• Great Smoky MountainsNorth Carolina, Tennessee
• Mammoth CaveKentucky
• New River GorgeWest Virginia
• ShenandoahVirginia

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Sources: www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · irmaservices.nps.gov · en.wikipedia.org · Official NPS site