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!
This project came about as an order request that I took on… Full transparency this beauty became quite the challenge for me but I’m so proud of how she turned out! I think I can mark this as the largest and most complex project I have completed so far ✅
Pattern: cotyloops
Yarn: bernatyarn
#loggerheadturtle #turtlecrochet #handmadeinwny #mamamade #smallbusinessbigdreams
Ancient soul. Crystal blue water. Zero rush. 🐢🌊
This is life on the second largest barrier reef—where even the turtles know how to slow down and savor the moment.
If your heart just softened a little, that’s your sign.
Come see it for yourself. We’ll handle the details—you just show up. ✨
bespokebelizetravel
#BelizeBarrierReef #LoggerheadTurtle #OceanMagic #BelizeTravel #UnderwaterDreams
What a special experience 💫
#monrepo #loggerheadturtle
Off the coast of West Africa, Cape Verde becomes a different world at night. That’s when loggerhead sea turtles return to shore, digging nests in sand that looks empty by day.
Here’s the scale: researchers monitoring multiple islands estimated a mean of 95,762 nests a year across Cape Verde during 2016–2019, and noted it may be the largest loggerhead nesting population globally.
Then things got even louder. There were more than 170,000 loggerhead nests in 2020, calling it a record year linked to consistent local protection efforts.
But this isn’t a “nature will sort itself out” story. Five sea turtle species swim around Cape Verde, yet only loggerheads nest regularly there. And even when nesting succeeds, only about 1 in 1,000 hatchlings is known to reach adulthood.
What helps (and what hurts) is simple:
Dark, quiet beaches beat bright lights and late-night disturbance
Cleaner seas reduce plastic risk
Safer fishing means fewer turtles lost as bycatch
One African archipelago can carry a huge share of the world’s hope for loggerheads 🌍
Which would you support first: A) beach patrols, B) lights-out rules, C) safer fishing?
#SeaTurtles #LoggerheadTurtle #CapeVerde #WestAfrica #MarineConservation #OceanProtection #Bycatch #PlasticPollution #WildlifeAfrica #CoastalConservation #ConservationStories #NatureEducation
🐢 Odrasla glavata želva s teškom ozljedom oklopa upravo je zaprimljena u 𝗢𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘀̌𝘁𝗲 𝘇𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗸𝗲 𝗸𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗷𝗮𝗰̌𝗲 na Lošinju.
Gđa. Biljana uočila ju je u uvali Oključna i odmah obavijestila kolege iz udruge 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗶 𝘀𝘃𝗶𝗷𝗲𝘁 𝗩𝗶𝘀. Uz stručno vodstvo kolegice Maše Frlete-Valić iz Plavog svijeta Vis i kolega iz Geoparka Viški arhipelag, kornjača je sigurno prevezena trajektom do Splita, gdje ju je preuzeo Grgur Pleslić, direktor znanstvenog programa 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗮 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗶 𝘀𝘃𝗶𝗷𝗲𝘁, i dovezao u oporavilište.
💙 Hvala svima koji su sudjelovali u ovom zahtjevnom poduhvatu: gđi. Biljani, Geoparku Viški arhipelag, HGSS Stanici Split – Ispostava otok Vis, Gradina Vis d.o.o., g. Mirku Rokiju i g. Toniju Linčiru.
📌 Više informacija o stanju kornjače i njezinoj rehabilitaciji podijelit ćemo uskoro.
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🐢 An adult loggerhead turtle with a severe shell injury has just been admitted to the 𝗦𝗲𝗮 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿, Lošinj.
Spotted by Ms. Biljana in Oključna Bay and immediately reported to colleagues at 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗩𝗶𝘀, the turtle was safely transported under the expert guidance of Maša Frleta-Valić, colleague from Blue World Vis, and colleagues from Geopark Vis Archipelago. She was then taken over in Split by Grgur Pleslić, Director of the Scientific Program at 𝗕𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲, and transported to the rescue center.
💙 Thanks to everyone involved: Ms. Biljana, Geopark Vis Archipelago, Croatian Mountain Rescue Service Split Station – Vis Branch, Gradina Vis ltd., Mr. Mirko Roki, and Mr. Toni Linčir.
📌 More updates on the turtle’s condition and rehabilitation will be shared soon.
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#BlueWorldVis #BlueWorld #Turtle #TurtleRescue #IslandVis #InjuredTurtle #PlaviSvijet #BlueWorldInstitute #SeaTurtle #LoggerheadTurtle #MarineConservation #WildlifeRescue #AnimalRehabilitation
Loggerhead Musk Turtle (Sternotherus minor) observed at a Florida spring river.
Found this shot while sorting through old photos for a friend’s request for loggerhead musk shots. I don’t think I ever uploaded it because the sediment made the scene rather busy and somewhat out of focus. It is cool that the turtle appears to be predating on a snail in this image (I think, the detail is a bit lost in said area). These snails are the reason these turtles develop such powerful, crushing jaws.
#animal #vertebrate #amniote #sauropsida #diapsid #reptile #testudines #chelonian #chelonia #turtle #cryptodira #kinosternidae #sternotherus #sternotherusminor #muskturtle #loggerheadmuskturtle #loggerhead #loggerheadturtle #nature #naturephotography #wildlife #wild #free #wildlifephotography #paddleboarding #florida #springriver
Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) hatchling 🐢
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#loggerheadturtle#loggerheadseaturtle#seaturtle#turtle#seaturtlehatchling
Just spending some time in awe.
I wonder if she felt my heart leaping out of my chest when she swam up to me.
If she felt my giddiness.
If she knew this moment would forever be ingrained in my diving spirit.
#shedives #loggerheadturtle
Snorkeling at Cozumel 🐢🐢😍😍
#snorkelingwithlalo
#loggerheadturtle
#marinelife
#Cozumel
#gopro13
SEA TURTLE RELEASE | Amputee sea turtle released at Florida beach after months of treatment.
A cheering crowd sent Pyari the sea turtle back to sea Wednesday morning, giving the beloved loggerhead a proper ocean homecoming after months of rehab.
Hundreds gathered on the sand behind Loggerhead Marinelife Center in Juno Beach to watch the adult female loggerhead return to the water.
According to the center, Pyari is now the third satellite-tagged amputee patient released by them as part of a collaborative study with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute examining how turtles adapt and behave after losing a limb.
Rescued on November 4 in Port St. Lucie by Inwater Research Group, Pyari arrived with predator-related injuries, including a partial amputation to her left front flipper and lacerations to her right flipper, neck, and shell. She received extensive wound care, antibiotics, and pain medication throughout her stay at the Center.
Read more on CBS12.com
#CBS12NEWS #WPEC #WestPalmBeach #SouthFlorida #News #BreakingNews #SeaTurtle, #AmputeeTurtle, #LoggerheadTurtle, #JunoBeach, #FloridaWildlife, #MarineConservation, #LoggerheadMarinelifeCenter, #SeaTurtleRehab, #OceanConservation, #WildlifeRescue, #SmithsonianConservationBiologyInstitute, #PortStLucie, #MarineLife, #TurtleRelease, #FloridaNews
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
