Nesting Sea Turtles
We have three species of sea turtle that nest commonly in Florida
The largest of all seven species is the leatherback
The loggerhead is the most common to nest here
The green turtle is the last to arrive during nesting season
Leatherback Tracks
Leatherback tracks have a very unique appearance. They move their limbs simultaneously as they navigate the beach. There is often a center drag mark from the tail, and a large track width. The tracks usually have an S shape, making them stand out from other sea turtle tracks.
Loggerhead Tracks
Loggerhead sea turtles have a unique track pattern that make their tracks easily identifiable to our research team out on the beach. The loggerhead track is often described as staggered, comma-shaped indentations in the sand. The staggered patter in because of the alternating gait that loggerheads are known for.
Green Tracks
Green turtles drag themselves through the sand by pulling with both flippers at the same time. Their tracks leave straight flipper marks that line up in pairs (look a lot like a lasagna noodle!). In the center of the trail, you will usually see a line left by the tail dragging behind them.
What are the 7 stages of nesting?
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Female sea turtles will typically come up past the high tide line (wrack line) during nighttime hours. Each species of turtle leaves a unique crawl pattern in the sand used to identify which species of turtle crawled up the beach.
a. False crawls: Sea turtles can “false crawl," which is identified as an emergence out of the water without laying eggs. A false crawl can happen for several reasons: activity on the beach, light pollution, obstructions, sandy quality, or other unknown reasons. Dark, flat, and clean beaches are the optimal conditions for nesting site selection.
b. Leatherbacks rarely false crawl, loggerheads and green turtles false crawl approximately 50% of the time
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Once the nesting sea turtle finds a suitable spot, she will begin to clear the dry sand away from the top of the area with all flippers. This clears the way for the creation of the egg chamber that requires the damp sand to ensure the shape of the chamber stays intact.
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Using only her hind limbs, the female will dig a hole in the sand that can be up to 2.5 feet in depth. The egg chamber process can take up to 30 minutes or more.
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Depending on the species, the sea turtles will lay 60-150 leathery eggs in each clutch.
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Once the eggs are laid, the female will use her hind limbs to cover the eggs with the sand she had previously dug out. She will move her hind limbs in a kneading motion to ensure the sand over the nest is compact.
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The female will throw sand behind her to form a mound over the nest site to disguise the nest site from potential predators.
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The female will then return to the ocean.
