All Seven Species of Sea Turtles are in Danger of Extinction...
Updated: May 13th.
We've all heard the expression, Knowledge is Power. This common expression stands true when it comes to saving the Florida Sea Turles. Knowledge and understanding can help you help save the Turtles.
Why the Turtles are Disappearing
Sea turtles once populated our oceans by the millions. Unfortunately over the last 100 years their numbers have been drastically reduced due to increasing demand for sea turtle meat, eggs, and other turtle by-products, as well as a loss of habitat, commercial fishing, pollution and artificial light.
Help Save the Florida Sea Turtles by learning more about their nesting habits, life cycle and the risks they face... and by supporting the "Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch"!
Florida Sea Turtle Nesting Habits
Beginning in May, the Florida sea turtle comes ashore to nest. The hatching of the eggs continues until late October. The female sea turtle can lay several nests during one season and only nests every two or three years.
The process of nesting is difficult and it can takes hours.
A turtle must first drag her impressive weight from the water to the dunes, where she will dig a hole in the sand using back flippers, and deposit approximately one hundred rubbery eggs. Each of these eggs is roughly the size of a ping-pong ball. When done laying the eggs, the mother will disguise the nest by flinging sand over it.
She then leaves the nest, never to return.
The Hatching of the Eggs
After a two month incubation period, the sea turtle hatchlings break out of their shells and begin thrashing about as a group, eventually causing the walls of the nest to collapse away from them and the bottom of the hole to rise. Once near the surface, the hatchlings wait until the sand temperature cools enough to emerge. It is because of the cooler required temperature the most turtle hatchling emerge from the nest after dark.
Once the hatchlings are out of the nest, they scramble to the water's edge and swim offshore where they will live for several years in the seaweed beds, drifting along the Gulf Stream. As the turtles grow older they move into coastal waters.
Species of Sea Turtle Found in Florida Waters
There are five different species of sea turtles inhabiting the waters off Florida's coast. Those species that nest in Florida include the loggerhead (most common), greens, and leatherback (least common). Other species of sea turtles that frequent Florida waters but do not generally nest include the Hawksbill and the Kemp's Ridley.
During the summer months, there are approximately 50,000 sea turtles in Florida waters. This makes Florida the most important sea turtle nesting area in the United States.
The Green Sea Turtle
Named for the greenish color of its body fat, this turtle is listed as endangered in Florida.
Most green turtles nest in the Caribbean, but up to 2000 nests can be found in Florida each year. For centuries, Green turtles were hunted for their meat that was made into soup. Hunting and egg gathering greatly reduced their number.
Green turtles graze on the vast beds of sea grasses found throughout the tropics and are the only sea turtles that eat plants. Some travel over a thousand miles to nest on islands in the mid-Atlantic.
The Hawksbill Sea Turtle
The hawksbill turtle is a relatively small. It has been hunted to the brink of extinction for its beautiful shell. Once relatively common in Florida, these turtles now rarely nest there. They feed on sponges and other invertebrates and tend to nest on small, isolated beaches.
The Leatherback Sea Turtle
The leatherback turtle is also endangered. It is the largest and most active of the sea turtles. Up to eight feet in length, these huge turtles have a rubbery dark shell marked by seven narrow ridges that run the length of their back.
Leatherback turtles can travel thousands of miles and dive thousands of feet deep. They also venture into much colder water than any other species of sea turtle. Leatherbacks feed on jellyfish and soft-bodied animals that would appear to provide very little nutrition for such huge animals.
The ingestion of plastic bags and egg collecting are just two causes of mortality and population declines. About 200 leatherback nests are recorded in Florida each year.
The Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
The Kemp's Ridley is the rarest and smallest of all the sea turtles. This endangered turtle lives in Florida's coastal waters and feeds on crab and shrimp. The Kemp's Ridley nests on a single stretch of beach on the Gulf Coast of Mexico.
The Loggerhead Sea Turtle
The Loggerhead is the most common sea turtle in Florida. It is classified as threatened, but not endangered.
Named because of its ten inch wide head, the leatherhead has very powerful jaws that it uses to crush the clams, crabs and encrusted animals on which it feeds. As many as 68,000 loggerhead nests have been found in Florida each year.
What to Do If You See A Turtle
If you encounter a nesting sea turtle on the beach, stay clear. Do not shine lights or take flash photographs. When frightened the nesting turtle will return to the water where she will drop her eggs.
If you see an injured, nesting or dead sea turtle, please call the Florida Marine Patrol at 1-800-DIAL FMP.
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