It’s Turtle Time On Sanibel

Florida Turtle Season 

There are presently more than 330 nests on Sanibel and Captiva, 150 more than this time last year. With no explanation this years nesting season has been a tremendous success over previous years in Southwest Florida. 

Loggerheads are tough to see but their tracks are easy to spot on an early morning beach.  “Turtle Patrol”  identifies possible nests every morning during nesting season so that nests are protected and hatchlings may be given assistance during the night hours after incubation. Upon hatching the little turtles make a mad dash for the water, following the light of the horizon.  This short trip is filled with hazards including dehydration and raccoons, birds, crabs that may snack on them before they hit the water.  Once in the water they are just bite size morsels for larger fish, including sharks.  Only about 1 in 100 eggs will become an adult turtle, which takes at least 16 years. 

Female turtles will make the long trek back to their nesting area and in the night will crawl on to the beach, dig a deep hole with their hind flippers, lay her eggs, cover up the nest, and return to the water. The procedure, once they find their nesting beach may take as long as three hours.  Each nest may contain nearly 100 ping pong ball size eggs. 

For further info on logger head turtles contact the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation while on Sanibel or sccf.org  or  turtletime.org.  

Loggerhead Turtles Facts: 

*Loggerheads are the most common sea turtles in Florida. 

*Adults grow to more than 3 feet long and weigh 200 to 350 pounds. 

*They may travel thousands of miles from feeding grounds to nesting beaches. 

*Females nest on the same beaches where they were born. 

*A female may nest one to seven times during a season at about 15 day intervals. 

*Incubation takes 55 to 65 days. 

*The temperature of the nest determines the sex of the hatchlings.  Cooler sand produces

      mostly males while warmer sand produces mostly females. 

*Hatchlings are about 2 inches long. 

*Hatchlings emerge at night and are guided by the lighter horizon to the water. 
 

Laws: 

*Both interior and exterior lights must not shine on the beach. 

*Nothing should be left on the beach at night that would interfere with nesting. 

*These rules are in effect from 9pm to 7am May 1 to Oct. 31.