Loggerhead Sea Turtles
Beautiful Wonder of Nature
Out of all the amazing creatures that live on Fripp Island the Loggerhead Sea Turtle is the pride and joy. Between mid-May and mid-October, huge female loggerhead sea turtles come ashore at night to lay their eggs. Approximately, two months later a swarm of adorable baby sea turtles will take to the beach. Waddling their way to the ocean.

 

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.

Follow FILP on Facebook!

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!

#sternotherusminor #sternotherus #kinosternidae #kinosternon #loggerheadturtle #sternotherusminorminor 
My male sternotherus minor minor 👽

#sternotherusminor #sternotherus #kinosternidae #kinosternon #loggerheadturtle #sternotherusminorminor
My male sternotherus minor minor 👽
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Please follow 👉  smile.swimmer 🥰

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Sea turtle .. perfect 🥰🥰🥰

Dm FOR credit or removed. 

 #Turtle

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Please follow 👉 smile.swimmer 🥰

Do you like 👉 smile.swimmer 🥰

For get more 🙏 follow 👉 smile.swimmer 🥰

Sea turtle .. perfect 🥰🥰🥰

Dm FOR credit or removed.

#Turtle

2. #TurtlesOfInstagram

3. #TurtleLove

4. #TurtleLife

5. #TurtleConservation

6. #TurtleLover

7. #TurtleRescue

8. #TurtlePhotography

9. #TurtleGram

10. #TurtleWorld

11. #SeaTurtle

12. #Tortoise

13. #TortoiseOfInstagram

14. #TortoiseLife

15. #TurtleHabitat

16. #TurtleShelter

17. #TurtleSanctuary

18. #TurtleRehab

19. #SaveTheTurtles

20. #TurtleAdventures

21. #TurtleIsland

22. #TurtleProtection

23. #MarineTurtles

24. #GreenTurtle

25. #LoggerheadTurtle

26. #HawksbillTurtle

27. #LeatherbackTurtle

28. #TurtleFriends

29. #TurtlePics

30. #TurtleCommunity
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At the moment I am on a scuba diving trip in Turkey and I am absolutely loving it!! Today’s dives were incredible…on this afternoon’s dive, a beautiful loggerhead sea turtle came and approached us whilst feeding! It stayed to get its mouth cleaned by the cleaner fish before heading to the surface for a breath. We were able to observe it for over 5 minutes, which was such an amazing experience and the highlight of my trip so far! #turtle #scuba #scubadiving #loggerheadturtle #turkey #ocean #marinelife #underwater #marine #marinebio #marineconservation #marinebiology

At the moment I am on a scuba diving trip in Turkey and I am absolutely loving it!! Today’s dives were incredible…on this afternoon’s dive, a beautiful loggerhead sea turtle came and approached us whilst feeding! It stayed to get its mouth cleaned by the cleaner fish before heading to the surface for a breath. We were able to observe it for over 5 minutes, which was such an amazing experience and the highlight of my trip so far! #turtle #scuba #scubadiving #loggerheadturtle #turkey #ocean #marinelife #underwater #marine #marinebio #marineconservation #marinebiology ...

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The most amazing experience to have seen this beautiful Loggerhead Turtle in action on visitkgarifraserisland 🤍🤍🤍

#loggerheadturtle #fraserisland #visitfrasercoast #kgari #visitqueensland #beachlife #caravanonajourney #queenslandtourism #queensland #turtlelife

The most amazing experience to have seen this beautiful Loggerhead Turtle in action on visitkgarifraserisland 🤍🤍🤍

#loggerheadturtle #fraserisland #visitfrasercoast #kgari #visitqueensland #beachlife #caravanonajourney #queenslandtourism #queensland #turtlelife
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#miamiscubarocks #scubadiving #scuba #water #ocean #turtle #Carettacaretta #loggerhead #loggerheadturtle #loggerheads #travel #florida #soflo #Miami #familytrip #learnhowtoscubadive #learnscuba #buceo #affordable #payinthree #sea #scubaforkids #hablamosespañol #wreckdiving #underwatervideo #underwaterpictures #toomuchfun #marinelife #enjoyyourlife #thalassophile 🎥 [scubarocks_]

#miamiscubarocks #scubadiving #scuba #water #ocean #turtle #Carettacaretta #loggerhead #loggerheadturtle #loggerheads #travel #florida #soflo #Miami #familytrip #learnhowtoscubadive #learnscuba #buceo #affordable #payinthree #sea #scubaforkids #hablamosespañol #wreckdiving #underwatervideo #underwaterpictures #toomuchfun #marinelife #enjoyyourlife #thalassophile 🎥 [scubarocks_] ...

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Part of the daily care for our rescued sea turtles involves scrubbing the algae from their shells using hand scrubbies or brushes.

We not only do this for their own healthcare, but also because they seem to enjoy the feeling of having their shell scrubbed. Turtle's shells are made out of keratin (like our fingernails) and contain nerve endings so they experience sensation through them. In the wild, sea turtles rub and scratch on any surface they have available, such as reef structures. Presumably it feels like getting a nice back scratch
Credit by jackkellyart

Follow turtle_lovers_ig for more content 

#seaturtle #ocean #animals #turtle #rescueanimals #rescue #loggerhead #loggerheadturtle #greenturtle #marinebiology #marinelife #oceananimals #ocean #turtle #seaturtle #seaturtles #oceanart #conservation #rescue #rescueturtle #animals #oceanartist #animalrescue #greenseaturtle #hawksbill

Part of the daily care for our rescued sea turtles involves scrubbing the algae from their shells using hand scrubbies or brushes.

We not only do this for their own healthcare, but also because they seem to enjoy the feeling of having their shell scrubbed. Turtle`s shells are made out of keratin (like our fingernails) and contain nerve endings so they experience sensation through them. In the wild, sea turtles rub and scratch on any surface they have available, such as reef structures. Presumably it feels like getting a nice back scratch
Credit by jackkellyart

Follow turtle_lovers_ig for more content

#seaturtle #ocean #animals #turtle #rescueanimals #rescue #loggerhead #loggerheadturtle #greenturtle #marinebiology #marinelife #oceananimals #ocean #turtle #seaturtle #seaturtles #oceanart #conservation #rescue #rescueturtle #animals #oceanartist #animalrescue #greenseaturtle #hawksbill
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Tater & Tot eating their squid, mackerel, and capelin mix! 🦑🐢

Feeding our young educational Loggerhead sea turtle ambassadors part of their enriching diet. ❤️‍🩹

#rescuerehabrelease #seaturtlerescue #turtle #turtlehospital #marathonturtlehospital #theturtlehospital #sea #seaturtle #science #nature #ocean #beach #seaturtlehospital #seaturtlerehab #wildlife #floridakeys #STEM #animals #fyp #seaturtlelove #savetheturtles #loggerheadseaturtle #loggerhead #loggerheadturtle #feeding #feedingseaturtles #cute #tatertot

Tater & Tot eating their squid, mackerel, and capelin mix! 🦑🐢

Feeding our young educational Loggerhead sea turtle ambassadors part of their enriching diet. ❤️‍🩹

#rescuerehabrelease #seaturtlerescue #turtle #turtlehospital #marathonturtlehospital #theturtlehospital #sea #seaturtle #science #nature #ocean #beach #seaturtlehospital #seaturtlerehab #wildlife #floridakeys #STEM #animals #fyp #seaturtlelove #savetheturtles #loggerheadseaturtle #loggerhead #loggerheadturtle #feeding #feedingseaturtles #cute #tatertot
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Do what you Love! This is what Self-Care looks like for this water baby 🩵 #selfcare #selflove #copingskills #ocean #oceanlife #underwater #hawai #buddha #buddhabelly #rubthebelly #loggerheadturtle #seaturtle #sealovers #monkseal #sealife #oceanlife #oceanadventure #mermaid #mermaidlife #underthesea #starseed #yolo #lifestooshort

Do what you Love! This is what Self-Care looks like for this water baby 🩵 #selfcare #selflove #copingskills #ocean #oceanlife #underwater #hawai #buddha #buddhabelly #rubthebelly #loggerheadturtle #seaturtle #sealovers #monkseal #sealife #oceanlife #oceanadventure #mermaid #mermaidlife #underthesea #starseed #yolo #lifestooshort ...

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someone has no idea they make a perfect picture! #junobeach #jupiterflorida #loggerheadturtle #saltlife #beachlife

someone has no idea they make a perfect picture! #junobeach #jupiterflorida #loggerheadturtle #saltlife #beachlife ...

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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