Natural history of Trinidad and Tobago in the section above on the reptilian fauna of Trinidad and Tobago, a number of species of marine turtles including the leatherback turtle, hawksbill turtle, loggerhead turtle, olive ridley turtle and green sea turtle frequent the waters around and/or nest on some of the beaches of both islands. Whales and dolphins were far more common to Trinidad and Tobago's waters in earlier times, but the very rigorous whaling industry of the 19th century decimated the population of whales in the Gulf of Paria (called 'Golfo de Balena' or Gulf of Whales by Christopher Columbus). Today, dolphins may still be regularly
Loggerhead Key done to provide the monkeys a place to breed, to supply the animals for medical research laboratory experiments. Around 1,322 of the monkeys existed on the island between 1987–1990. The Dry Tortugas Light is a lighthouse located on Loggerhead Key. It began operations in 1858 and was decommissioned in 2014. The Carnegie Marine Biological Laboratory, also referred to as the Tortugas Laboratory, was a marine biology laboratory and research facility constructed on the northern end of Loggerhead Key that operated from 1904 to 1939. It was constructed and operated by the Carnegie Institution of Washington. The Carnegie Marine Biological Laboratory