Coast Georgia's coast is made up of sandy beaches and barrier islands. The coastline of Georgia is almost 110 miles long. The Coastal Plain is part of a low land that extends around the coast of the eastern United States from New York to Texas. In Georgia, a chain of low islands called the Sea Islands lies just off the mainland.

Coastal Animals Sea Gulls are large birds and are usually grey or white with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet.They are ground nesting carnivores. They eat crabs and small fish.

Coastal Animals Ghost crabs live in burrows along the sandy beaches of the Eastern United States. The crabs can reach relatively large sizes of over 6 inches. They are omnivorous and will eat other crabs, clams, insects and vegetation. Feeding activity takes place at night, while burrowing occurs during the day.

Coastal Animals The Brown Thrasher (Georgia state bird) can be seen throughout Georgia, but is most common in the southern and central portions of the state. It eats a variety of food including insects, invertebrates, small vertebrates, fruits and nuts.

Coastal Plants The forests of Georgia's islands often are more extensive and better developed than those of other U.S. barrier islands. Canopies of Georgia's mature maritime forest are dominated by Spanish moss and live oaks.

Coastal Plants Other large canopy trees include southern magnolias, pines and cabbage palms. Smaller trees include the American holly and morning glory. On the beaches of the coast, sea oats grow on the dunes and help prevent erosion.

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is made of saltwater. The Atlantic Ocean near Georgia is warmer than most oceans in the world. Georgia's offshore waters lie along the migratory route for several species of marine animals that are unique and play important environmental roles.

Animals of the Ocean The sand tiger shark is very large and has a mouthful of sharp, spike-like teeth. It can eat just about anything it wants and swallow it whole. It doesn't attack humans. It is the only shark that controls how it floats in the water by burping!

Animals of the Ocean After baby loggerhead turtles hatch, they immediately make their way to the sea. The only time a female loggerhead comes ashore is to nest. She will crawl up a beach at night, dig a pit in the sand with her hind flippers, and lay between 80 and 120 eggs in the nest. Many of the eggs will be eaten or stolen by predators. After 50 to 80 days, a few tiny hatchlings will struggle out of their eggs.

Animals of the Ocean Right whales (Georgia state marine mammal) can grow up to 60 feet long and weigh up to 100 tons. Whalers thought the whales were the "right" ones to hunt since they float when killed. Over hunting caused their numbers to decrease. Today, the right whale is endangered. There are only 350 left, so instead of hunting them, people often watch these acrobatic whales for pleasure.

Animals of the Ocean Many types of fish live in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Georgia. Black sea bass, grouper, snapper, bluefish, tuna, amberjack, barracuda, sailfish, barracuda and mackerel are just some of the fish common to the area. Georgia has built a number of artificial reefs to attract fish and other sea life.

Plants of the Ocean Gray's Reef contains both plant and animal life. The rock that forms the reef is mostly sandstone and limestone that was formed between two and five million years ago! Gray's Reef provides a home and foundation for hundreds of different species of plants and animals. Seaweed, algae and seagrass thrive on Gray's Reef.