The Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve is located in east-central Florida in southern Volusia County south of Ponce de Leon Inlet. It is adjacent to two incorporated municipalities - New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater - and 50 miles northeast of Orlando. The Mosquito Lagoon is part of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL) system, a long, wide, shallow estuarine lagoon bounded on the west by the Florida mainland and on the east by a chain of barrier islands. Mosquito Lagoon Aquatic Preserve is in the northernmost sub-basin of the IRL system and is a bar-built type of estuary. The IRL system stretches 156 miles from Ponce de Leon Inlet at the northern end to Jupiter Inlet at the southern end. It is the home to bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, manatees, a variety of fish species, alligators, and birds. Also, it supports the northernmost extent of red and black mangrove habitat, low marsh and high marsh habitats, extensive oyster bars and tidal flats.