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For more information about the conservation of this important species you can also visit the Sea Turtle Conservancy  http://www.conserveturtles.org

Other sites for sea turtle species information include: SeaTurtle.org

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission oversees conservation efforts for sea turtles in Florida,  http://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/sea-turtles/

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First breast stoke of this tiny Loggerhead turtle!

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With only two or three breast strokes, the tiny turtles in in the surf and out of site.

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Hatchlings march to the ocean with a left/right gait.  Once they hit water, it is a breast stroke.

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Once hatched turtles march quickly toward the ocean (most of the time). Sometimes they head in the wrong direction which is dangerous. The disorientation makes them vulnerable to predators and also they can dry out quickly when the sun comes up.

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Hatchling August 2018

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David's Turtle

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Several Turtle Patrol Teams take one loggerhead turtle egg from each nest and send it to the University of Georgia for DNA testing.  We are finding out new concepts.
For instance, last year we had one female who laid a nest 200 miles north of us and then 11 days later laid a new nest on our 7 mile section.
A different female this year laid eggs on Day 1, 15 days later (skipped 30 days) and then a third nest at 45 days. Apparently what we thought were several different turtles may in reality be less female laying multiple nests. Interesting!

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Migrate over long distances in oceans.

Can handle from 40 degrees Fahrenheit to tropical temperatures.

Spend their entire lives in the sea.

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Leatherbacks - Feed on Jellyfish and Softbodied Sea Animals.
Loggerheads eat heavy shelled animals of crabs, clams.
Hawksbills enjoy sponges and other invertebrates.
Kemp’s Ridley like crabs.

Some turtles eat everything (omnivores), others' eating habits are more specialized.

Question:  Investigate different shapes of different turtle mouths.  Explain why and how they use modification of the mouth and jaw.

Question:  How are juvenile eating habits similar and different from adult feeding?

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Marine life needs our help.
WHAT YOU CAN DO!
When on the beach, please pick up any garbage.  Marine life sometimes eat plastics and this can kill them.
At night do not use any white lights. If using a flashlight use green or red lenses. If your home is near the beach, change outside lighting to amber colored lights.

Sea Turtle Hospital Whitney Labs
http://www.whitney.ufl.edu/education-conservation/sea-turtle-hospital/

Sea Turtles of Saint Augustine, FL
http://www.co.st-johns.fl.us/HCP/Turtles.aspx

Florida Fish and Wildlife
http://myfwc.com/education/wildlife/sea-turtle

Saint John's County
http://www.co.st-johns.fl.us/HCP/Turtles.aspx

National Wildlife Sea Turtles
https://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Amphibians-Reptiles-and-Fish/Sea-Turtles.aspx

Sea Turtles
http://www.seeturtles.org

If you find a Sea Turtle...
Please call:

Sheriff's Office: (904) 824-8304

SJC Habitat Conservation: (904) 209-3740

FL Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission's 24-hour Wildlife Alert Number: 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922)

Check out our Share the Beach brochure (26MB). St. Johns County's guide to sharing and protecting the beaches.

Tour de Turtles
http://www.tourdeturtles.org/

This padlet link:
http://tinyurl.com/CD-SeaTurtles1

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Leatherback nests are deeper because the mother's have larger flippers.

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August 2017

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August 8/29/201
The nest hatched 3 days earlier and we were doing the evaluation. Leatherbacks are rare at our stretch of beach. John and Rich had to dig deep to find the eggs. There were 10 live babies. Six were released that evening with many well wishers applauding and cheering and them on. The other 4 turtles were kept over night and released the following morning.

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Sea Turtle Patrol volunteers are legally certified to handle turtles.

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Nest Evaluation

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This loggerhead was about 150 pounds. It was obvious that she had been sick for a while because there were barnacles on her tongue. We picked her up, placed her in a pickup and covered her with wet towels. Later she was taken to a turtle hospital.

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Unhealthy turtles beach themselves.  We will transport these to a turtle hospital. The nearest hospital is at Marineland a few miles south, but if they don't have room our turtles may go to Georgia Aquarium.

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Three days after a nest hatches, we evaluate the nest.  I dig down to the egg clutch and take out all of the eggs.  We find some eggs where the turtles have developed but don't get out of the egg which are called pips.  A few eggs are perfectly sphere and intact which didn't develop at all.  Sometimes there are live turtles that are stuck in the nest. The live turtles are helped to get into the water.
If turtles seem to have enough energy when we get them out of the nest, we release them.  It is important to allow them to walk toward the ocean.  Walking exercises  their limbs  in preparation for swimming. They walk moving left fin, right fin, but when they hit the water, immediately switch to a breast stroke. We look for that. In the water they quickly take a breath or two, breast stroke and disappear.

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from SeaTurtles.org

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In Saint Augustine

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From SeaTurtles.org

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About the size of golf balls and feel a little leathery.

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A clutch of eggs in a nest. Females take a few hours to dig a deep (2 feet) bell shaped hole into which they lay the eggs.

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A clutch of eggs in a nest. Females take a few hours to dig a deep (2 feet) bell shaped hole into which they lay the eggs.

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Sea Turtle Patrol - Saint Augustine Florida

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Sea Turtle Patrol - Saint Augustine Florida

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WE LOVE SEA TURTLES!
Each day from May to October a team member  observes the beach before sunrise.  First we find female turtle tracks from which we can identify the species: Loggerhead, Leatherback or Green.  Once the nest is found, we put stakes and ribbon around the nest.  This alerts people to be careful and helps volunteers monitor the net.
I am a small part of a team of Sea Turtle Patrol people who monitor sea turtle activity on a 7 mile stretch of beach in Saint Augustine, FL.  We are on the beach before sunrise every day from May to October.
In May and June we search for turtle tracks and find and mark the nest. Just before the nest is expected to hatch (about 2 weeks before) we put a green tape around it to signify that it is nearing maturation. Imagine how excited we are when we see about 100 tracks fanning out from the nest headed to the ocean.