Loggerhead Sea Turtles
Returning Home
From May to October each year, Fripp Island experiences a wonder of nature. It is during this time that the loggerhead sea turtles return to nest. Each year dozens of adult females come ashore, on various stretches of beach, to lay a clutch of 100 or more eggs. Many of these females were born on the island only to return some 20 to 30 years later to nest.
Each female will nest and lay eggs 3-5 times each season, digging an egg chamber near dunes away from rising tides. After laying her eggs, the turtle will return to the ocean before returning 12 to 14 days later to build another nesting spot. After the final nesting, turtles return to the ocean and will repeat the cycle every 2-4 years.
Hatchlings
A sea turtle egg will incubate in about 60 days. This varies a bit with temperature, with warmer conditions leading to faster development of the embryos. Interestingly, cooler sand has a tendency to produce more males, while warmer sand produces more females. Once an embryos has fully developed, the hatchlings break out of their shell using “a temporary, sharp egg-tooth, called a ‘caruncle.’ The caruncle is an extension of the upper jaw that falls off soon after birth.” (conserveturtles.org) Now out of their shells, the little hatchlings somehow know to emerge from the sand. Usually emerging at night when the temperature is milder, they dig their way up through about 18” of sand. As a group, the newborns paddle their way to the top before beginning their journey across the sand. This process of emerging can take several days.
Heading to Sea
The journey to the sea is no small task for these little creatures. They must move quickly so as not to get dehydrated or become prey to birds or crabs. As mentioned earlier, many sea turtles return to the beach where they were born. Some scientists believe this is due to a turtle’s ability to read the earth’s magnetic field, while others believe the hatchlings takes an imprint of their birth beach, smell, sound, even celestial cues, while making the trek from nest to water. All pretty amazing, nonetheless.
What to Know
Here on Fripp Island, we are blessed to be a key location for loggerhead nesting along the east coast of the US. With that, it is our responsibility to be good stewards of their habitat and respect their space. To that effort we have the Fripp Island Loggerhead Patrol, made up of volunteers, which monitors and marks nests along the beaches each day throughout the season.
See their photo albums and logs:
Thank you, Fripp Island Loggerhead Patrol! We really appreciate all of your hard work.
If you are fortunate and see an adult female nesting, or traveling to or from the ocean, it is very important to maintain a 20’ distance and be sure to stay clear of her path. Also, do not use flashlights while walking on the beach. If you encounter the hatchlings rising from the sand, or making their way to the water, do not get near and, again, do not use any lighting. Hatchlings rely on the moon over the water to guide their way and can get easily turned around if another light source is nearby.
If you see a hatchling moving away from the ocean, DO NOT pick it up, as it is against federal law to touch a sea turtle without the proper permit. If you see a hatchling and are worried about the direction in which it is moving, please call Fripp Island Security or the Activity Center at (843)-838-1516. (Source: Fripp Island Resort)
The wonders of Fripp island are abundant and the seasonal nesting of loggerhead sea turtles is no exception. Enjoy from a distance and share in the amazing process that has been going on for more than 100 million years!
Ang laki nya na malapad😲😍
#loggerheadturtle #nagoyaaquarium #enjoyeverymoment #enjoylife #lifeinjapan
Turtle rain.....
#loggerheadturtle #carettacaretta #atlanticamente #oceanholic
The baby turtles are hatching on Lady Elliot Island. This sequence of images tells the story of a baby Loggerhead Turtle.
After escaping its nesting hole, it quickly has to move down a beach of broken coral fragments and sand to (hopefully) reach the water and swim away. If it hatches in daylight it may become easy prey for Silver Gulls and Reef Herons on the beach. When in the water it may become a quick meal for Reef Sharks and large fish. It is not surprising then that the chances of survival are said to range from 1 in 200 to 1 in 1000. If it survives it may eventually return to the island of its birth to breed.
#loggerheadturtle
#loggerheadturtlehatchling
#ladyelliotislandecoresort
#travelaustralia
#australianwildlifephotography
us girls were treated with perfection yesterday at Manta Lodge and Scuba Centre thanks so much Kat Lam for the invite
#girlsweekend #manta #leopardshark #loggerheadturtle
Cheering on Crush!!!! #loggerheadturtle #turtles #goodnews #wildlifeconservation
🐢 Climate Change is shrinking the future of Loggerhead Turtles!
A new study reveals that warming oceans and dwindling marine food supplies are severely impacting the reproductive capacity of Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). Females are breeding less frequently and producing fewer eggs, threatening the survival of this Schedule I (WPA, 1972) and IUCN `Vulnerable` species. This decline serves as a critical indicator of broader marine ecosystem health and the urgent need for climate mitigation.
📌 UPSC Relevance: GS Paper 3 (Environment, Conservation, Biodiversity & Climate Change)
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#UPSC #CurrentAffairs #UPSC2026 #IAS #PaiVerse #Environment #ClimateChange #LoggerheadTurtle #MarineBiology #Biodiversity #GS3 #WildlifeConservation #UPSCPre #CivilServices #Ecology
A little over ten years ago, in January 2016, Terri the loggerhead turtle washed up on a beach in Jersey. When she was released in Gran Canaria following successful rehabilitation, Dad and degruchymo just so happened to be there! Inspired by Terri`s story, Dad got his one and only tattoo in August 2016, and I was honoured that he asked me to go with him.
Yesterday, I got my very own Terri the turtle tattoo, too. Thanks as always to mattfriendtattoos for adding to my ever growing collection of animal tattoos 😍
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#turtletattoo #turtle #loggerheadturtle #traditionaltattoo #traditionaltattoos
#LepidocampaSikkimensis #ZSI #SoilBiodiversity #Khorramshahr4 #IranMissile #USIranTensions #LakeMichigan #GreatLakes #UnderwaterArchaeology #FSSAI #FoodLabelling #SupremeCourt #LoggerheadTurtle #ClimateChange #OceanWarming #INSTarangini #MILANExercise #IndianNavy #NavalDiplomacy #SAHI #BODH #HealthAI #upscprelims #currentaffairs
We went to Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach, Florida. We watched the sea turtles swim around. We saw them feed the nurse sharks, eel, and all the fish. We also ate lunch there. It’s is a nonprofit sea turtle research, rehabilitation, education, and conservation facility that is a popular tourist attraction, often cited as a top free attraction. Visitors can see injured sea turtles in the hospital, explore interactive exhibits, and learn about marine conservation through programs like guided turtle walks during nesting season, nest excavations, and other eco-experiences. The center focuses on protecting threatened and endangered sea turtles and their ocean ecosystems. Also, if you pack a bathing suit, they have a beautiful beach right behind it. It’s great for the whole family. #loggerheadturtle #loggerheadmarinelifecenter #eel #nurseshark #juno
Unatoč izrazitoj iscrpljenosti, nakon nekoliko dana u oporavilištu naša nova pacijentica Maja napravila je prvi korak prema oporavku. Uz postepeno ugrijavanje i rehidraciju infuzijskim otopinama, Maja se počela hraniti krutom hranom. Smještanjem u vodu utvrđen je poremećaj plovnosti pri kojem kornjača pluta i nije u stanju zaroniti. S obzirom na trenutno vrlo nisku temperaturu mora, moguće je da se radi o posljedici pothlađenosti koja kornjaču čini letargičnom i slabo pokretnom. Na to upućuje i velika količina obraštaja (rakovi vitičari i alge) na Majinom oklopu i koži. Uz daljnju primjenu potporne terapije, započeti ćemo s mehaničkim uklanjanjem obraštaja te se nadamo Majinom uspješnom oporavku!
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Despite being extremely exhausted, after several days in the rescue centre our new patient Maja has taken the first step towards recovery. With gradual warming and rehydration with infusion solutions, Maja has started eating solid food. By placing her in the water, positive buoyancy disorder was observed in which the turtle floats and is unable to dive. Given the very low sea temperature, this may be a consequence of hypothermia, which makes the turtle lethargic and poorly mobile. This is also indicated by the large amount of epibionts (barnacles and algae) on Maja’s shell and skin. With the further administration of supportive therapy, we will begin mechanical removal of the epibionts hoping for Maja’s successful recovery!
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#BlueWorld #Turtle #TurtleRescue #InjuredTurtle #PlaviSvijet #BlueWorldInstitute #SeaTurtle #LoggerheadTurtle #MarineConservation #WildlifeRescue #AnimalRehabilitation
The Fripp Island Resort offers a Turtle Walk nature program to visit the nests and learn about these magnificent creatures. May through September.
☏ 843-838-1516
