Loggerhead Turtle
I've lived in Naples for more than 17 years so I’ve certainly read and heard about loggerhead turtles. I’ve also seen the protected nests on area beaches during my daily beach walks. But it wasn’t until I came upon a group of hatchlings leaving their nest in early August that I truly understood the miracle their survival requires.
Loggerheads are local
There are five species of sea turtles found in Florida waters and all of them are protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 and the Florida Marine Turtle Protection Act (379.2431 Florida Statues). Loggerheads are the predominant species of sea turtles in Collier County.
The official start of Sea Turtle Nesting season on our beaches is May 1. The female turtle crawls to a dry part of the beach and digs a body pit using her rear flippers as shovels. When the turtle has finished digging, she begins to lay eggs. The average size of a clutch ranges from about 80 to 120 eggs.
Once she has laid her eggs, she conceals them with sand. After the nest is thoroughly hidden, the female crawls back to the sea to rest before nesting again later that season. Once a female has left her nest, she never returns to tend it.
Nesting occurs from May through August when the hatchlings begin to appear. Hatching may extend through October.
Incubation takes about 60 days. Each hatchling breaks open its own shell and then digs its way out of the sand. The tiny turtles usually erupt as a group, and generally remain near the surface of the nest until the temperature cools, indicating nighttime. The hatchlings use the natural light horizon over the Gulf of Mexico to reach the water when they emerge from the nest. Any other light sources such as street lights, or light from cars, condos, or campfires can lead hatchlings in the wrong direction.
If the hatchlings don’t make it to the water quickly, death by dehydration or by predators like crabs or birds is a real possibility. Once in the water, they encounter many obstacles including sharks and other large fish as well as plastic garbage and tar balls introduced to the water by humans. The obstacles are so numerous that only about 1 in 1,000 survives to adulthood.
Locally, Conservancy of Southwest Florida Senior Biologist, Dave Addison and a crew of interns monitor nests at the Naples City Beach and on Keewaydin Island. Conservancy scientists use cages or stakes over the nests to protect the eggs from common predators like fire ants, crabs, raccoons, and feral hogs. If you see these cages on area beaches, please do not disturb.
Protect the Nest!
In order to protect our beloved sea turtles, we must protect their homes. Here’s how you can help.
- Turn off lights at beaches during nesting season
- Don’t touch the animals
- Clean up our beaches (turtles will eat and can choke on litter)
- Use reusable bags instead of plastic bags
- Support fisheries that use turtle-safe devices on their nets
- Slow down in designated channel zones.
- If you see hatchlings leaving their nest, give them room and do not interfere with their journey. It’s essential not to use flash photography around the hatchlings. Stay behind the hatchlings so they can not see you or be disturbed.
Fun Facts:
- Loggerheads are a protected species. They only nest in two main areas of the world. One is Florida beaches (mostly Southwest Florida). The other is off the coast of Oman in the Middle East.
- The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has been protecting sea turtles for more than 32 years. Scientists have saved more than 265,000 babies.
- Reproductive Age: 17 - 33 years old
- Adult Size: 35 - 84 inches
- Adult Weight: 180 - 440 pounds
- Nesting: Loggerheads lay 3-4 egg clutches (groups of eggs) about every 12-17 days every 2-3 years.
- Average eggs per clutch: 112.4
- Gestation: 80 days
*Figures are based on the average adult loggerhead.
The Dalton Discovery Center is home to Betsy, their ambassador loggerhead. She was part of a gender study and will live in the patch reef aquarium until she is large enough to be safely released into the Gulf. Learn more about Betsy and her namesake, long-time sea turtle advocate Besty Sandstrom at www.conservancy.org/baby-loggerhead-sea-turtle-named-betsy.