Mustang Island

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Map of Mustang Island, in a long chain of barrier islands (see: Padre Island, to the south).

Mustang Island is a barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States. The island is 18 miles (29 km) long, stretching from Corpus Christi to Port Aransas. The island is oriented generally northeast-southwest, with the Gulf of Mexico on the east and south, and Corpus Christi Bay on the north and west. The island's southern end connects by roadway to Padre Island. At the northern end of the island is Aransas Pass, beyond which is San José Island (also known as Saint Joseph Island). Aransas Pass is protected by jetties extending into the Gulf from both Mustang Island and San José Island.

In 1519, when Spanish explorer Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda sailed through the pass to what he later named Corpus Christi Bay, the Karankawa Indians were likely the island's only residents. By the 1700's, as a result of grazing herds of horses, introduced by Spanish settlers, was first called "Wild Horse", then "Mustang Island". Up to the 1840's the island and pass (now the ship channel) were used by buccaneers, Mexican smugglers, merchants and immigrants seeking their fortune or someone else's fortune.

The town of Port Aransas, Texas is located at the northern end of the island. Mustang Island State Park encompasses the entire southern third of the island, including 3954 acres (16 km²) and 5 miles (8 km) of beach. The city of Corpus Christi includes the northernmost portion of Padre Island and part of Mustang Island between Port Aransas and the state park.

[edit] Wildlife

On September, 2007, Corpus Christi, Texas wildlife officials found a record of 128 Kemp's Ridley sea turtle nests on Texas beaches, including 81 on North Padre Island (Padre Island National Seashore) and 4 on Mustang Island. Wildlife officials released 10,594 Kemp's ridleys hatchlings along the Texas coast this year. The turtles are endangered due to shrimpers' nets and they are popular in Mexico as boot material and food.^[1]
On June 10, 2008 a sperm whale beached itself on one of the island's beaches. It had to be euthanized because the city didn't have the equipment needed to move the large whale.