Sea Turtle Season Winding Down

While there are still nests hatching on the Islands, sea turtle season is nearly complete for 2013. All of Captiva's nests have hatched and we are waiting on the remaining seven nests on Sanibel. To date, there have been 479 nests laid on the Islands and 369 of those have hatched. The final totals will be available in a couple weeks after the final nests have hatched.

One of the many reasons turtle patrol is worthwhile- the sunrises!

SCCF turtle volunteer excavating a green turtle nest.

Green turtle hatchlings found during a nest excavation.

Green turtle hatchling track headed to the Gulf.

The Survival of the Sea Turtle

This video, by TEDed, explains how amazing sea turtles are in under 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Species Spotlight: the Kemp's Ridley Turtle

Meet the Kemp’s ridley turtle (Lepidochelys kempii). The Kemp’s ridley is both the smallest and most endangered of sea turtle species. At maturity, they are 2-2 ½  feet long and around 100 lbs. Their carapace (top shell) is usually almost as wide as it is long, giving it a very round shape. They are found almost exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Female Kemp's ridley after nesting on Sanibel Island in 2011.

Juveniles use the estuaries on the west coast of Florida as nursery areas. 95% of nesting occurs in Tamaulipas, Mexico along three main beaches. There is also some nesting in Texas and the occasional nest in Florida. Kemp’s ridleys are unique from the other turtles that are found in Florida’s waters in that they often nest during the day. On the beaches of Mexico, the Kemp’s ridley nests in large groups called arribadas.

Species Spotlight: the Green Turtle

Green turtle nesting on Sanibel at sunrise. (Photo by: A.Bryant)

Meet the green turtle (Chelonia mydas). As the only vegetarian sea turtle (in adulthood), they eat mostly sea grasses and algae. While not green in color, they are named for the green color of their fat. Green turtles are the largest of the hard-shelled turtles, often reaching over three feet in length and 300-350 pounds. They have an oval-shaped shell and a head that is small in proportion to their body. Hatchlings are typically dark grayish-black with a white underside and white edges to their carapace (top shell) and flippers.

Green turtle hatchling.

Green turtles are found worldwide. The estuaries in Southwest Florida provide nursery habitat for juveniles and our beaches provide nesting habitat. While loggerhead turtle nests make up the bulk of sea turtle nesting in the area, there are several green nests laid each year. Green turtles usually begin nesting in June and continue into September. Like all sea turtles, the green is protected by the U.S. Endangered Species Act. It is currently listed as endangered across its range.

2012 Nesting Season Recap

Whew…what a season! This summer, we had a near record number of nests, early nesters (our first nest was laid April 20…more than a week before the official start of the west coast nesting season),  two daytime nesters, and two tropical storms.  The Islands have not had this many nests since 2008 and before that 2000! Sanibel finished out the 2012 nesting season with 314 loggerhead nests, one green turtle nest, and 661 false crawls (all loggerhead). Captiva had a total of 117 nests and 170 false crawls, all were from loggerhead turtles.

Loggerhead hatchling headed to the Gulf. Photo by: A. Bryant

Hatch success was not nearly as good as we would have hoped after having so many nests laid, but that was due mainly to Tropical Storms Debby and Isaac. Sanibel and Captiva had 103 and 36 nests hatch, respectively, with over 9,000 hatchlings reaching the Gulf.

Let the Crawling Begin!

The first loggerhead turtle nest on Sanibel of 2012.

Each sea turtle season distinguishes itself in some way. So far, 2012 will be the season with the earliest start. Captiva had the first nest on April 20 and Sanibel wasn’t far behind with nests on April 25 and 26. This sets a new record for early nesting by Loggerhead turtles on the Islands. We were expecting nesting to begin earlier than usual due to the mild winter and warm temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, but not quite this early! One of the big benefits to the early start will be that nests will hatch before we start to see any tropical storms or hurricanes in the Gulf, enabling more hatchlings to safely make it to the water.