Wildlife of the Mediterranean Coast of Turkey

The Mediterranean coast of Turkey supports marine mammals, nesting sea turtles, lagoon fish, migratory waterbirds, wetland carnivores, maquis reptiles and mountain mammals within a narrow land-to-sea transition. Its fauna changes sharply between rocky bays, sandy nesting beaches, river deltas, salt marshes, coastal forests and the lower slopes of the Taurus and Amanos mountains.

The biological coast extends beyond the waterline

For this page, the Turkish Mediterranean coast extends from the Mediterranean-facing Fethiye–Göcek transition eastward through Antalya and Mersin to the Çukurova deltas and Hatay. The scope includes coastal waters, islands, sea caves, beaches, dunes, lagoons, river mouths, maquis, pine woodland and mountain foothills that remain ecologically connected to the coast.

This ecological boundary is not identical to Turkey’s administrative Mediterranean Region. Inland plateaus and provinces are excluded unless their watersheds, forests or animal populations connect directly with coastal systems. National biodiversity planning documents identify Mediterranean beaches, dunes, wetlands and coastal protected areas as linked habitats rather than isolated shoreline features.[a]

No synchronized survey has counted every animal taxon along the entire coast. Site inventories, provincial studies, nesting-beach monitoring and marine surveys therefore provide different kinds of evidence and cannot be merged into a defensible coast-wide species total.

The habitat sequence that structures coastal fauna

Animal distribution follows a repeated sequence from offshore water to mountains. Each habitat supplies a different combination of feeding grounds, shelter, nesting sites, freshwater access and seasonal refuge.

Habitat	Physical setting	Characteristic fauna	Main biological role
Open coastal water	Continental shelf, pelagic water and deeper channels	Dolphins, sea turtles, pelagic fish, rays, sharks and gelatinous plankton	Feeding, migration and movement between offshore and coastal zones
Rocky reefs and sea caves	Cliffs, submerged rock, karst cavities and island shores	Mediterranean monk seal, groupers, moray eels, octopuses, sponges, sea urchins and reef fish	Resting caves, breeding cavities, fish shelter and hard-bottom feeding habitat
Seagrass and shallow soft bottom	Sheltered bays, sandy seabed and vegetated shallows	Juvenile fish, seabreams, pipefishes, crustaceans, molluscs and sea cucumbers	Nursery habitat, sediment stabilization and benthic feeding grounds
Sandy beaches and dunes	Open beaches backed by mobile or fixed dunes	Loggerhead turtle, green turtle, ghost crab, dune reptiles, ground-nesting birds and small mammals	Sea-turtle nesting, invertebrate feeding and movement between beach and dune vegetation
Lagoons and salt marshes	Brackish lakes, mudflats, salt pans and shallow channels	Flamingos, avocets, plovers, ducks, eels, mullets, gobies and terrapins	Fish nursery habitat, bird feeding grounds, winter refuge and migration stopover
Reed beds and river mouths	Freshwater channels, reed margins, pools and seasonally flooded ground	Herons, ibises, Eurasian otter, jungle cat, Nile softshell turtle, frogs and water snakes	Freshwater access, nesting cover, amphibian breeding and fish passage
Maquis and coastal pine woodland	Evergreen shrubland, rocky scrub and pine-covered slopes	Wild boar, red fox, golden jackal, European hare, tortoises, chameleons and lizards	Foraging cover, den sites, reptile basking habitat and links between wetlands and mountains
Taurus and Amanos foothills	Karst cliffs, forest, ravines, caves and rocky mountain slopes	Wild goat, caracal, striped hyena, roe deer, brown bear, raptors and cave-roosting bats	Large-mammal refuge, seasonal movement, cliff nesting and bat roosting

Maquis is not merely degraded forest or empty scrub. It is a Mediterranean vegetation system of evergreen, drought-adapted shrubs and small trees that supplies cover, fruit, insects and rocky microhabitats for mammals, birds and reptiles. Its structure varies with soil, fire history, altitude and proximity to forest.[b]

Wildlife areas from Fethiye to Hatay

The coast is not biologically uniform. Western bays contain a stronger Aegean–Mediterranean transition, while the eastern Levantine sector has broader deltas, warmer water and greater exposure to species entering through the Suez Canal.

Coastal sector	Main habitats	Faunal importance	Evidence boundary
Fethiye–Göcek	Sheltered bays, islands, rocky reefs, seagrass and pine-backed shores	Reef fish, sea turtles, cetaceans, benthic invertebrates and recorded non-indigenous marine species	Many records come from marine protected-area surveys rather than a single all-taxon inventory
Patara, Kaş and Kekova	Long sandy beach, dunes, rocky islands, sea caves and submerged reef	Loggerhead nesting, reef communities, marine mammals and cave-dependent fauna	Nesting evidence applies to monitored beaches; marine records vary with survey location and depth
Belek to the Antalya cliffs	Nesting beaches, river mouths, coastal dunes, cliffs and urbanized shore	Sea turtles, shorebirds, bats, cliff fauna and nearshore fish	Artificial lighting and dense coastal development create sharp differences between adjacent sites
Olympos, Çıralı and the western Taurus shore	Pebble and sand beaches, pine forest, maquis, streams and steep mountain slopes	Loggerhead nesting, tortoises, chameleons, forest mammals and raptors	Beach fauna and mountain fauna overlap but should not be treated as one habitat community
Göksu Delta and Taşucu	Lagoons, dunes, salt marsh, reed beds, river channels and adjacent sea	Waterbirds, sea turtles, Nile softshell turtle, lagoon fish and wetland mammals	Delta records provide strong site evidence but do not define distribution across all of Mersin
Aydıncık, Bozyazı and Anamur	Rocky Cilician shore, sea caves, small beaches and forested slopes	Mediterranean monk seal habitat, sea turtles, reef fish and cliff-associated birds	Cave and sighting records show use of particular coast sections, not continuous occupancy
Akyatan, Tuzla and Yumurtalık	Large lagoons, salt marshes, freshwater pools, dunes and flooded woodland	Green-turtle nesting, wintering waterbirds, lagoon fish, jungle cat and wetland reptiles	Published bird totals belong to stated survey years and site combinations
Samandağ and the Amanos coast	Nesting beach, Asi River mouth, agricultural plain, maquis and forested mountains	Green turtles, jackals, wetland birds, striped hyena, caracal, bats and mountain mammals	Some mammal evidence is provincial or mountain-based rather than restricted to the shoreline

Ramsar documentation describes Akyatan as Turkey’s largest lagoon lake and records a mosaic of freshwater, coastal, salt-marsh, dune and woodland habitats. Historical surveys cited in the publication recorded 250 bird species at Akyatan in 1990, while combined Akyatan–Tuzla censuses recorded 152 species and 65,521 birds in 2009. These figures measure different survey scopes and should not be interpreted as a rise or decline.[c]

An official wetland publication reports 328 bird species recorded at Göksu Delta. It also identifies the delta’s fine dunes as nesting habitat for loggerhead and green turtles and reports the Nile softshell turtle from the wetland system.[d]

Sea turtles use the coast as a chain of breeding habitats

Loggerhead turtles and green turtles are the two regular nesting sea turtles on Turkey’s Mediterranean beaches. Their nesting distribution is not identical. Loggerheads use beaches across much of the coast, while green-turtle nesting is concentrated more strongly in the warmer eastern sector, including Akyatan, Kazanlı and Samandağ.

At Akyatan, monitoring cited by SPA/RAC recorded 1,335 green-turtle nests and 21 loggerhead nests between 2006 and 2011. The difference shows the site’s particular role for green turtles rather than a general abundance comparison between the two species throughout Turkey.[e]

A 2024 study describing the newly identified Yakacık nesting site referred to 23 recognized nesting beaches along Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Small pocket beaches and previously inaccessible sections can still produce additional nesting evidence, so the number is tied to the study’s management context and publication date.[f]

Species	Scientific name	Coastal relationship	Regional evidence
Loggerhead turtle	Caretta caretta	Nests on open sandy beaches; juveniles and adults forage in coastal and offshore waters	Nesting is documented at western, central and eastern Mediterranean beaches of Turkey
Green turtle	Chelonia mydas	Nests mainly on warm eastern beaches; later life stages feed in shallow marine habitat	Strong nesting evidence from the Çukurova and Hatay coasts
Leatherback turtle	Dermochelys coriacea	Occasional marine visitor rather than a regular Mediterranean nester	Reports at sea do not establish a Turkish nesting population
Nile softshell turtle	Trionyx triunguis	Uses river mouths, lower rivers, lagoons and brackish wetland margins	Reported from eastern Mediterranean river and delta systems, including Göksu
Balkan terrapin	Mauremys rivulata	Occupies slow water, canals, marsh edges and lowland streams	Associated with coastal freshwater and brackish wetland mosaics
European pond turtle	Emys orbicularis	Uses vegetated freshwater pools, drainage channels and marshes	Recorded from suitable coastal wetlands but not from every lagoon system
Spur-thighed tortoise	Testudo graeca	Terrestrial species of dunes, scrub, field margins and open maquis	Occurs behind the beach rather than in marine habitat

IUCN treats the Mediterranean loggerhead population as a defined regional assessment unit rather than assuming that global and Mediterranean conditions are identical.[g] The Mediterranean green-turtle population is also assessed at subpopulation scale, which allows its restricted regional nesting system to be evaluated separately from populations in other oceans.[h]

A nest record is not a coast-wide population estimate

Nest totals depend on beach length, survey frequency, nesting season, track interpretation and whether repeated nesting by the same female is counted separately. Nest numbers describe reproductive activity at a monitored site; they do not equal the number of adult turtles in the sea.

The rocky Cilician shore remains monk-seal habitat

The Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus, depends on quiet rocky shores with suitable caves, resting ledges and access to feeding water. Turkey’s Cilician coast contains long sections of karstic shoreline where caves occur beneath steep slopes and cliffs.

A published case report documented a monk seal in Yeşilovacık Bay in Mersin and assessed the record in relation to proposed coastal development. Such observations confirm use of particular bays but do not establish that seals occupy every cave or remain continually present in the area.[i]

Caves can serve different functions. Some provide temporary resting shelter, while a smaller number have interior beaches or chambers suitable for pupping. Boat entry, underwater noise, shoreline construction, cave illumination and repeated close approach can reduce the value of otherwise suitable habitat.

Bird communities change with water level and season

The largest coastal bird concentrations occur where shallow water, exposed mud, reed beds, salt marsh and open lagoon are present together. A species may breed at one site, winter at another and appear only during passage elsewhere. A regional list without seasonal status would therefore mix biologically different uses of the coast.

Bird community	Representative species	Favored coastal feature	Typical seasonal role
Shallow-water feeders	Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta), black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus)	Saline shallows, mudflats and salt-pan margins	Wintering, passage and local breeding depending on site conditions
Small shorebirds	Kentish plover (Charadrius alexandrinus), little stint (Calidris minuta), curlew sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea), dunlin (Calidris alpina)	Exposed mud, wet sand and shallow lagoon margins	Migration passage, wintering and local breeding by Kentish plover
Larger waders	Ruff (Calidris pugnax), black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa), common redshank (Tringa totanus), glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)	Mudflats, flooded grassland and shallow freshwater pools	Mainly passage and winter use, with site-specific breeding
Lagoon ducks	Common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna), Eurasian wigeon (Mareca penelope), common pochard (Aythya ferina), white-headed duck (Oxyura leucocephala)	Open lagoon water, sheltered bays and vegetated margins	Wintering and passage; breeding status differs by species and wetland
Reed-bed and marsh birds	Purple heron (Ardea purpurea), squacco heron (Ardeola ralloides), black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), marbled teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris)	Reed beds, shallow pools, canals and flooded vegetation	Breeding, feeding and migration stopover
Beach and island breeders	Collared pratincole (Glareola pratincola), little tern (Sternula albifrons), common tern (Sterna hirundo), stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)	Bare islands, sandy flats, gravel, dunes and sparsely vegetated ground	Local breeding during spring and summer
Scrub and agricultural-edge birds	Black francolin (Francolinus francolinus), European roller (Coracias garrulus), shrikes and buntings	Field margins, low scrub, hedges, orchards and dune vegetation	Resident or summer breeding, with additional migrants during passage
Soaring migrants	White stork (Ciconia ciconia), European honey-buzzard (Pernis apivorus), lesser spotted eagle (Clanga pomarina) and other raptors	Mountain passes, ridges and rising air near the Amanos range	Concentrated spring and autumn passage

Waterbird abundance can change rapidly when lagoon depth, salinity, exposed mud area or food availability changes. The absence of a species during one visit is therefore not proof that the wetland lies outside its regional range. Conversely, a single passage record does not establish breeding.

Mammals from lagoon margins to the Amanos Mountains

The coast’s terrestrial mammals are most varied where wetlands, agricultural land, maquis, woodland and mountains meet. Lowland carnivores use reed beds and drainage corridors, while larger or more disturbance-sensitive mammals are associated with forest, cliffs and less accessible mountain terrain.

A peer-reviewed inventory reported 69 mammal species for Hatay Province. The total includes coastal lowlands, agricultural plains, steppe-like districts and the Amanos Mountains, so it must not be presented as a shoreline count. The study describes Hatay as a meeting area for African-linked, arid-region and Anatolian mountain fauna.[j]

Mammal	Scientific name	Strongest coastal-hinterland association	Evidence scope
Jungle cat	Felis chaus	Reed beds, wet grassland, irrigation channels and lagoon margins	Wetland and lowland records, including the Çukurova lagoon system
Eurasian otter	Lutra lutra	Rivers, channels, freshwater pools, estuaries and fish-rich wetlands	Freshwater-linked coastal occurrence rather than open-sea habitat
Egyptian mongoose	Herpestes ichneumon	Dense riparian vegetation, field margins, scrub and wetland edges	Most strongly associated with warm southern lowlands
Golden jackal	Canis aureus	Wetlands, farmland, dunes, scrub and river corridors	Widely recorded in suitable coastal lowlands
Wild boar	Sus scrofa	Reed beds, forest, maquis, orchards and agricultural margins	Recorded across many terrestrial habitats behind the shore
Red fox	Vulpes vulpes	Dunes, farmland, maquis, woodland and upland slopes	Broad habitat use; local density is not established by presence records
European hare	Lepus europaeus	Open scrub, dunes, field margins and dry grassland	Terrestrial coastal plain and foothill species
Indian crested porcupine	Hystrix indica	Rocky slopes, scrub, orchards and agricultural mosaics	Southern lowlands and foothills
Stone marten	Martes foina	Rocky ground, woodland, villages and agricultural edges	Broadly distributed in terrestrial coastal landscapes
European badger	Meles meles	Woodland, scrub, farmland and soils suitable for sett excavation	More closely tied to inland cover than exposed beaches
Wild goat	Capra aegagrus	Steep Taurus and Amanos cliffs, rocky ravines and mountain scrub	Mountain and cliff habitat connected to the coast
Caracal	Caracal caracal	Dry scrub, rocky slopes, open woodland and low-density rural landscapes	Regional records are sparse and should not be read as continuous distribution
Striped hyena	Hyaena hyaena	Rocky dry country, scrub, agricultural margins and eastern coastal hinterland	Primarily associated with Hatay and neighboring southern landscapes
Roe deer	Capreolus capreolus	Forested Amanos slopes and woodland clearings	Mountain-forest evidence rather than lagoon or beach occurrence
Brown bear	Ursus arctos	Large forest blocks and remote mountain terrain	Restricted to suitable upland hinterland; not a characteristic beach mammal
Mountain gazelle	Gazella gazella	Dry plains and open landscapes of eastern Hatay	Provincial coastal-hinterland fauna, not a continuous Mediterranean shoreline species

Hatay’s mammal total is provincial

The 69-species inventory includes habitats far beyond the beach, including the Amanos Mountains and inland districts. It provides evidence for the diversity of the eastern coastal hinterland but cannot be used as a count of mammals living directly beside the sea.

Reptiles and amphibians occupy the gaps between wet and dry habitat

Coastal reptiles are divided among marine water, freshwater wetlands, dunes, rocky scrub and forest edge. Amphibians are less visible during the dry season but breed in temporary pools, canals, marshes and slow-flowing freshwater.

Species or group	Scientific name	Habitat association	Regional caution
Common chameleon	Chamaeleo chamaeleon	Dune scrub, orchards, hedges, maquis and low trees	Localized habitat use makes it easy to miss during short surveys
Starred agama	Stellagama stellio	Rock walls, cliffs, ruins, boulders and sun-exposed slopes	Common occurrence at rocky sites does not imply use of wetland habitat
Snake-eyed lizard	Ophisops elegans	Open dry ground, sparse scrub and rocky field margins	Associated mainly with terrestrial coastal plains and foothills
Kotschy’s gecko	Mediodactylus kotschyi	Rock faces, walls, trees and buildings	Older publications may place the species in a different genus
Ocellated skink	Chalcides ocellatus	Sandy soil, dunes, loose ground and low vegetation	Often concealed beneath soil or debris
Large whip snake	Dolichophis jugularis	Maquis, farmland, rocky slopes and field boundaries	Terrestrial predator with no direct marine association
Montpellier snake	Malpolon insignitus	Dry scrub, dunes, open woodland and cultivated land	Presence depends on warm, open terrestrial habitat
Dice snake	Natrix tessellata	Streams, canals, lagoons and freshwater margins	Most closely associated with fish-bearing water
Syrian spadefoot	Pelobates syriacus	Loose soil near temporary pools, marshes and lowland grassland	Above-ground activity is strongly seasonal
Tree frogs	Hyla species	Reed beds, shrubs beside water, canals and seasonal pools	Species-level identification should follow locality and current taxonomy
Green-toad complex	Bufotes species	Temporary water, irrigation systems, dunes and disturbed lowlands	Older sources often use the broad name Bufo viridis
Levant water frog	Pelophylax bedriagae	Ponds, slow streams, canals and permanent wetland water	Calling and breeding records are more informative than isolated visual sightings

Lagoon fish connect rivers, wetlands and the sea

Coastal lagoons are not closed freshwater lakes. Their salinity changes with rainfall, evaporation, river flow and the opening or closure of channels to the sea. Some fish remain in brackish water, while others enter lagoons seasonally to feed, grow or reproduce.

Recorded lagoon animal	Scientific name	Ecological relationship
European eel	Anguilla anguilla	Moves between marine and inland waters during its life cycle and uses lagoon channels as passage and feeding habitat
Big-scale sand smelt	Atherina boyeri	Forms schools in shallow coastal and brackish water
Flathead grey mullet	Mugil cephalus	Feeds in estuaries and lagoons and moves between marine and brackish habitats
Golden grey mullet	Chelon auratus	Uses coastal shallows and lagoon systems; older sources may list it as Liza aurata
Leaping mullet	Chelon saliens	Occurs in coastal and brackish water; older lists may use Liza saliens
Boxlip mullet	Oedalechilus labeo	Associated with shallow marine and lagoon-connected water
European seabass	Dicentrarchus labrax	Enters estuaries and lagoons, especially during juvenile growth stages
Gilthead seabream	Sparus aurata	Uses lagoon nursery and feeding habitat before returning to coastal marine water
Grass goby	Zosterisessor ophiocephalus	Lives in shallow brackish water with vegetation and soft sediment; older sources may use Gobius ophiocephalus
Blue crab	Callinectes sapidus	Non-native Atlantic crab established in eastern Mediterranean lagoons and estuaries

The fish names above are based on species reported in Ramsar descriptions of Akyatan and Yumurtalık. Some genus combinations have changed since those wetland inventories were compiled. The table updates widely accepted combinations where the historical identity is clear rather than reproducing every older name unchanged.

The marine fauna is changing as the eastern Mediterranean warms

Turkey’s eastern Mediterranean coast is one of the first parts of the country reached by many Red Sea and Indo-Pacific species moving through the Suez Canal. Shipping, aquaculture, aquarium release and movement on vessel surfaces can provide additional pathways.

A study of long-term sea-surface temperature records found increasing trends at İskenderun, Mersin and Antalya and linked warmer conditions with changes in the composition and spread of marine species in Turkish seas.[k]

A national review reported 539 marine alien species from all Turkish coasts by the end of 2020, of which 404 were treated as established. These are national totals covering the Mediterranean, Aegean, Marmara and Black Sea; they are not counts for the Mediterranean coast alone.[l]

A 2025 survey and review for the Fethiye–Göcek Special Environmental Protection Area documented eight non-indigenous marine taxa. The animal records included the species below, while the full study also covered non-indigenous algae.[m]

Recorded non-indigenous animal	Scientific name	Observed or expected habitat relationship	Why the record matters
Common lionfish	Pterois miles	Rocky reefs, caves and artificial structures	Predatory reef fish capable of consuming many small native fishes and crustaceans
Long-spined sea urchin	Diadema setosum	Rocky substrate and algal-covered reef	Dense grazing groups can alter algal cover and benthic structure
Yellowspotted puffer	Torquigener flavimaculosus	Sandy and mixed seabed in shallow coastal water	Shows continued spread of Indo-Pacific fishes into western parts of the Turkish coast
Nine-striped cardinalfish	Cheilodipterus novemstriatus	Rocky reef and sheltered coastal habitat	Provides evidence of westward expansion from the Levantine sector
Reciprocal sea cucumber	Synaptula reciprocans	Shallow hard bottom, reef surfaces and benthic habitat	Adds a non-indigenous deposit-feeding invertebrate to local benthic communities

Non-indigenous does not automatically mean invasive

A non-indigenous species occurs outside its native range through human-assisted movement. It is described as invasive when establishment and spread produce documented ecological, economic or health effects. A new locality record alone is evidence of occurrence, not proof of measurable impact.

Threats follow the same habitat boundaries as the animals

A pressure affecting one part of the coast can alter several animal groups. Closing a lagoon channel changes fish movement and bird feeding habitat; dune construction affects turtle nesting and terrestrial reptiles; a road through maquis can fragment mammal movement between wetlands and mountain cover.

Pressure	Most exposed habitat	Faunal effect	Evidence needed to assess local severity
Artificial lighting and night activity	Nesting beaches and coastal dunes	Can disorient sea-turtle hatchlings and disturb nesting females	Beach-specific light measurements, nesting tracks and hatchling-orientation records
Beach grooming, vehicles and fixed structures	Sand beach and foredune	Compacts nesting substrate, removes wrack fauna and interrupts dune habitat	Management records, substrate measurements and nest-location data
Wetland drainage and altered water flow	Lagoons, marshes and river mouths	Changes salinity, fish access, amphibian breeding pools and bird feeding depth	Water-level, salinity, channel and seasonal fauna monitoring
Agricultural runoff	Lowland rivers, canals and lagoons	Can alter oxygen conditions, plant growth and aquatic food webs	Water chemistry, sediment and biological-response measurements
Coastal construction and cave disturbance	Rocky shore and sea caves	Reduces quiet resting and breeding space for monk seals and cave-associated fauna	Cave structure surveys, camera records and disturbance monitoring
Fishing bycatch and abandoned gear	Coastal and offshore marine water	Can injure or kill sea turtles, marine mammals, sharks and diving birds	Fleet-specific observer records, strandings and gear-retrieval data
Quarries, roads and forest fragmentation	Maquis, cliffs and mountain foothills	Breaks movement routes and removes den, roost and feeding habitat	Before-and-after habitat mapping and species movement evidence
Wildfire and repeated vegetation clearance	Maquis and coastal pine woodland	Changes cover, prey availability and reptile microhabitats	Fire intensity, recovery stage and repeated fauna surveys
Marine warming and species introductions	Reefs, seagrass, soft bottom and lagoons	Changes competition, predation, grazing and seasonal occurrence	Repeated standardized marine surveys and verified taxonomic records

Golden jackals and green-turtle nests at Samandağ

Predation is also part of the ecological relationship between terrestrial and marine-linked fauna. A Samandağ study examined 964 green-turtle nests between 2012 and 2017 and identified the golden jackal as the main mammalian nest predator. Metal screening increased hatching success in the monitored nests. The result does not make the jackal an introduced beach pest; it shows how a native generalist predator can affect a concentrated nesting resource in a modified coastal landscape.[n]

Why the coast has no reliable single species total

The available evidence was produced at different scales. Wetland publications list animals recorded within Ramsar boundaries. Nesting studies count reproductive activity on selected beaches. Provincial inventories include inland mountains and plains. Marine surveys differ in depth, gear, season and taxonomic coverage.

Taxonomy also changes over time. Older wetland lists may retain former genera for mullets, gobies, geckos, amphibians or birds. Updating a scientific combination does not create a new regional record, and an old name should not be counted as a second species when it refers to the same taxon.

Occurrence evidence is uneven. Wetlands with bird towers, protected beaches and accessible bays generate many observations, while military areas, cliffs, sea caves and deeper marine habitats are sampled less often. Record density can therefore reflect observer access and research effort as well as animal presence.

The species presented here form a source-based regional working list. They document characteristic and verified elements of the fauna, but they do not constitute a complete official inventory of every animal recorded between Fethiye and Hatay.

Sources and Verification

[a] National Biological Diversity Strategy and Action Plan — Used to verify the national treatment of Mediterranean beaches, dunes, wetlands, protected coastal areas and sea-turtle breeding habitat.
[b] Maquis vegetation in Mediterranean-climate region of Türkiye and recommendations for conservation and forestry practices — Used for the ecological definition, structure and conservation context of Turkish Mediterranean maquis.
[c] Ramsar Sites of Turkey — Used for the habitat composition, dated bird surveys, lagoon fish and wetland-fauna records of Akyatan and Yumurtalık.
[d] Türkiye’nin Önemli Sulak Alanları — Used for the official Göksu Delta bird total, breeding-bird examples and records of sea turtles and the Nile softshell turtle.
[e] Türkiye: Conservation of Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Biodiversity by 2030 and Beyond — Used for protected coastal-area descriptions and the 2006–2011 green-turtle and loggerhead nest records from Akyatan.
[f] Haplotype Analyses of Newly Identified Nesting Beach for Loggerhead Sea Turtle: Yakacık Beach, Türkiye — Used for the publication-date-specific count of recognized Mediterranean nesting beaches and evidence from the newly identified Yakacık site.
[g] IUCN Red List assessment: Mediterranean loggerhead turtle subpopulation — Used to verify that Mediterranean loggerheads are evaluated as a defined regional subpopulation.
[h] IUCN Red List assessment: Mediterranean green-turtle subpopulation — Used to verify the separate regional assessment scope applied to Mediterranean green turtles.
[i] Occurrence of the Mediterranean Monk Seal Monachus monachus in Yeşilovacık Bay, Mersin, Turkey — Used for documented monk-seal occurrence and the relationship between seal habitat and coastal development assessment.
[j] Mammalian Diversity of Hatay Province — Used for the 69-species provincial inventory, biogeographic context, selected mammal records and documented land-use pressures.
[k] Climate Change and Biodiversity Effects in Turkish Seas — Used for the long-term warming trends reported at İskenderun, Mersin and Antalya and their relationship with marine-fauna change.
[l] Current Status of Marine Alien Species in Turkey — Used for the end-of-2020 national inventory of reported and established marine alien species across all Turkish seas.
[m] Alien-Invasive Marine Species in Warmer Conditions of a Mediterranean Region: Fethiye–Göcek SEPA — Used for the 2025 Fethiye–Göcek records of eight non-indigenous marine taxa and the listed animal species.
[n] Temporal and Spatial Variation of Mammalian Predation on Green Sea Turtle Nests at Samandağ Beach — Used for the 2012–2017 nest sample, identification of golden jackal predation and the reported effect of protective screening.