Biodiversity Profile

Terrapene carolina major

Gulf Coast Box Turtle

Probably the most familiar of all our turtles, the box turtle can be found in our savannas, open forests, fields and yards. They are often seen crossing the roads of the reserve, so be careful not to run over one! These armored creatures are not social and are rarely found together except during mating season. If you disturb these turtles, they will pull their legs and head into the shell and then close up their shell to protect their soft body parts. Box turtles can live to be up to one hundred years old.

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This project is funded by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources in part through a grant provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management

The Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GNDNERR), established in 1999, is managed through a unique local, state and federal partnership designed to promote estuarine research and education within Mississippi's Coastal Zone and its adjacent ecosystems. The major partners of the GNDNERR include the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office, Mississippi State University, The Nature Conservancy, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the University of Southern Mississippi. Additionally, a Citizens Advisory Committee has been established to assure that the concerns of the local citizens are adequately addressed by the Management Board.

View a short video contrasting selected habitats of the reserve before and after Hurricane Katrina

 

 

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Announcements

Grand Bay NERR Researchers recently discovered several INVASIVE adult Nile tilapia,Oreochromis niloticus , during a routine hoopnet sampling trip in one of the Reserve's freshwater marshes. The Nile tilapia is a non-native species of fish that was accidentitally introduced into the waters of the Escatawpa watershed when fish escaped from a nearby aquaculture facility. Unfortunately, the prolific tilapia have proven to be tolerent of South Mississippi's cold winter temperatures as well as our brackish, estuarine water and appear to be thriving. These fish cause problems because they are capable of outcompeteing our native fish for available food resources.