Malin Head is the most northerly point of the Irish mainland but to the North East lies the small island of Inishtrahull. This island has the oldest rocks in Ireland and is closer in rock type to Greenland. A small community of fishermen and their families lived here until the early 1900's and a manned Lighthouse only became automatic over twenty years ago. Now the island is left to the birds and the Grey Seals that breed on nearby rocky islets and basking sharks that populate its waters.

There are plenty of other creatures of interest on the coast in addition to birds. The twice daily withdrawal of the sea reveals a large community of animals, especially on rocky coasts, that live in their particular niche. Such as Barnacles, limpets, whelks, winkles, hermit crab.

Many of the shells found on the beach such as Razor Shell, Cockle, Tellins and Sand Gaspers spend there lives submerged in the sand with only their siphons protruding above to extract food particles from the water.
From time to time some unusual animals are washed up on the beaches of Inishowen. In the last few years two species of the rare sea turtle Kemp's Ridley have been found at Ballyliffin and Dunree beaches. This turtle only breeds in a small area of the Gulf of Mexico and there only a few thousand of them left. A few Leatherback Turtles have also turned up. The leatherback turtle is the largest in the world, and grow to about 2 metres long.