All About Sea Turtles

turtle drawing Sea turtles are large, air-breathing reptiles, ancient creatures, which have successfully survived for more than 100 million years. With streamlined shells and powerful front flippers, they are agile and powerful swimmers, but on land, sea turtles move slowly and with limited maneuverability.

90% of loggerhead nesting in the United States
takes place on Florida’s beaches.

Of the seven species of sea turtles existing world-wide, five use Florida’s marine and beach habitats. The loggerhead (Caretta caretta), a Threatened Species, accounts for most nests in southwest Florida. Small numbers of Endangered green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) also nest here, though a little later in the season. Endangered Kemp’s ridleys (Lepidochelys kempii), hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata), and leatherbacks (Dermochelys coreacia) forage in Gulf waters, but rarely nest here.

In southwest Florida, nesting and hatching occur
May through October, usually at night.

A female loggerhead takes from 1 to 2 hours to lay about 100 eggs deep in the warm sand. The eggs look like ping pong balls – in size, color, and shape. A sea turtle may nest multiple times in a single season, but once she returns to the sea, she does not revisit her nests. Most loggerheads skip a year or two before nesting again.

After incubating for about two months, 2” baby turtles hatch but usually remain in the nest for several days. Then, in the cool of the night, they crawl upwards through the sand, erupt en masse from their nest, and scramble quickly to the sea. Those who are not quick as well as lucky are eaten by predators, such as crabs, raccoons, coyotes, armadillos, foxes, fire ants, and birds, and in the water, by fish. A small number – 1 in 1,000 and perhaps even fewer – survive to reach
maturity. For loggerheads, this is some 20 to 35 years later.

Adult sea turtles have few natural enemies, but they face man-made threats both in the water and on their age-old nesting beaches. These threats include loss or degradation of marine and beach habitats, incidental catch in trawl nets and other fishing gear, illegal commercial trade in sea turtle products, and ingestion of marine debris such as pieces of styrofoam and hard plastic, plastic bags, balloons, and tar.Looking at sea turtle tracks in the sand

Sea turtles can’t back up. Encountering obstacles such as canopies, boats, chairs, and toys, sea turtles may return to the water without nesting or become entangled, possibly with fatal results.

Sea turtles use light as a sea-finding cue. In natural settings, hatchlings emerge from their nests and scramble instinctively toward the brighter horizon – the skyline over open water. However, in developed areas, unshielded lights visible from the beach pose a threat. Other unshielded lights, even some quite far away, also pose a threat by creating skyglow, causing the sky
inland to appear brighter than the sky seaward. Both nearby lights and distant skyglow attract hatchlings away from the water. Both also may confuse adult turtles after they have nested or deter them from nesting at all. Ironically, as coastal communities effectively reduce artificial lighting on or adjacent to nesting beaches, skyglow inland is on the rise.

Sea turtles are Endangered or Threatened worldwide.

Sea turtles are protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Florida Marine Turtle Protection Act. Both prohibit touching or disturbing sea turtles, hatchlings, or nests. Sea turtle ordinances in Charlotte, Lee, and Sarasota counties and in many other Florida counties and municipalities provide further protections. 

Want to learn more? View - A Beachcombers Guide to Turtle Tracks

How to Help

With a turtle tag! Thanks to the efforts of the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC), (formerly the Caribbean Conservation Corporation) and other Florida sea turtle groups including many Coastal Wildlife Club members, the Florida Legislature, in 1997, authorized the creation of the Sea Turtle Specialty License Plate to provide a permanent funding source for the state's Marine Turtle Protection Program. First offered for sale in February 1998, the turtle tag quickly became one of the most popular specialty plates in Florida, raising over $1 million annually.

Sea Turtle Specialty License Plate revenues directly fund sea turtle conservation. 70% of annual revenues support research and management activities of the FWC’s Marine Turtle Protection Program. The remaining 30% funds research, conservation, and education projects that benefit Florida sea turtles through the Sea Turtle Grants Program administered by the STC.

On Gulf Beaches May1 - October 31

  • Do not use flashlights, tiki torches, fishing lanterns, flash photography, or fireworks.

  • Enjoy the sand and sandcastles, but refill holes, which can trap hatchlings (and shorebird chicks).

  • Remove canopies, chairs, toys, boats and other obstructions from the beach at night.

  • Do ‘mini’ clean-ups daily so that trash does not entrap or obstruct the path of hatchlings and so food scraps do not attract predators.

  • Disconnect, shield, or otherwise modify exterior lights which are visible from the beach.

  • Remember to close draperies and also move lamps back from windows. Interior lights visible from the beach also pose a danger.

  • Do not allow pets on the beach. Pets running loose may harass turtles, dig up nests or harm hatchlings (and shorebird chicks).

  • Do not buy turtle products when abroad at any time.

  • If you are fortunate enough to encounter a nesting turtle on the beach, remain quiet, at a distance, and in the dark. Allow her to return undisturbed to the sea.

Lights, obstructions, and pets are threats.