Amelia's 13 miles of sandy beaches are derived, surprisingly, from the erosion of the Appalachian Mountains.  The quartz sands traveled along the coast in a southward direction, and, lucky for us, rested here to form Amelia's beautiful beaches.  Easterly winds blew the sands inland forming dunes, and, eventually overtime, sea oats thrived in the dunes.  Geologically speaking, the barrier island of Amelia is relatively young, at around 3,000 years old.  Note that Amelia Island's sand dunes, as well as sea oats, are protected -- it is illegal to walk within the dunes or pick sea oats on Amelia Island. Read more about Main Beach Park, the island's public beach park with concessions. 

Amelia Island's Sea Turtles

Amelia's beaches are also, seasonally, the nesting grounds for sea turtles.  A sea turtle watch group  monitors the nests and tapes them off, posting warning signs, for unsuspecting beachcombers.  Both sea turtles and their nests are protected by environmental laws, and Fernandina has night time beach lighting laws in effect to help protect the turtle hatchlings. Read Amelia Island Living's eMagazine article about watching sea turtle nest excavations on Amelia Island -- a very interesting, fun activity if you are visiting the island during the sea turtle nesting season (the hatchlings generally emerge from July through October, and this is the time when nests are excavated.)  See their website at www.ameliaislandseaturtlewatch.com

Hunting for Shark's Teeth

A favorite past time on Amelia's beaches is hunting for ancient shark teeth that were shed millions of years ago.  The actual source of many of Amelia's shark teeth is reportedly the dredging of the St. Mary's river which churned up what's been dated a 20-million-year-old geological deposit.  (The north end of the island received material from this source in a beach renourishment effort.)  But shark teeth can be found all around Amelia's beaches, not just on the north end. Tides and currents have dispersed this natural  treasure of fossilized teeth, all along Amelia's sandy beaches, much to the delight of beachcombers.

The fossilized shark teeth are generally dark black in color, somewhat triangular in shape, and come in various sizes, from very tiny to -- well -- remember JAWS?  But these days, it's rare to find a giant tooth. The best time to find shark teeth, according to savvy collectors, is at low tide.  You will find, when scouring the wet sand near the water line, that many shell fragments have the habit of looking like a shark's tooth -- which can be quite a let down.  While some conditions may be better than others to facilitate a bountiful hunt (such as after a stormy "nor-easter"), the more you hunt, the better trained one's eye becomes for spotting teeth.   So, remember, patience is a virtue in the search for ancient shark's teeth. We wish you happy hunting!  If you happen not to find any teeth, and you really want to bring some home, check out Fernandina's downtown shops -- some have shark teeth on display and for sale.

This is Amelia Island Living© eMagazine's Travel Guide Section. Return to HOME PAGE.  Besides this Travel Section, be sure to read the most recent tourism articles in eMagazine Section.  Read "Heritage Tourism" article, covering the must-see historic sights on Amelia Island.  Also read feature article about the historic Amelia Island Lighthouse,   Visit Amelia Island Living's new social network, new photo gallery, and new blog at www.AmeliaIslandLiving.NET.  Copyright 2001-2007© Florida Fine Living Media, Inc., all rights reserved.  Web site content is based upon information gathered from various sources believed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed or warranted as to accuracy or completeness.