Nesting Season is Underway!

Last updated June 1, 2017
Turtle season is underway and we are busy patrolling the beaches each morning looking for turtle crawls and marking turtle nesting sites. As school gets out and the weather gets warmer, we’ll have more beachgoers sharing the beach with our friends, the sea turtles. Please remember to do your part to keep the turtles safe… remove trash and obstacles (such as chairs) from the beach and fill in holes dug in the sand before you leave. This will provide mama turtles with a safe path as they come on shore to lay their eggs. With your help, we’ll have another successful nesting season! 
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​~ The Volusia/Flagler Turtle Patrol 
Picture
Returning to the ocean after laying eggs.

June Fact of the Month...

A female turtle can spend two hours or more on shore laying her eggs. What does she do while she’s on land? First, she crawls to a point above the high-tide line so her eggs won’t be taken away with the tide. Then, she digs a “body pit” by rotating her body and using her flippers. She then cups her rear flippers to grab sand and dig out an egg chamber, or hole, in which she will lay her eggs. When her flippers can’t reach any deeper she’ll begin to lay her eggs. She will “drop” a few eggs at a time until she lays between 50 and 200 eggs (depending on the species of the turtle). Once she is finished laying her eggs, she uses her rear flippers to fill in the egg chamber with sand and her body to gently pack it down. She then camouflages her nest by using her flippers to throw sand in all directions around the nest to confuse predators about the location of the eggs. Finally, a tired mama turtle returns to the sea for some much-deserved rest.
Click here to see a video of the steps a female turtle takes to lay her eggs.

FLORIDA SEA TURTLES
There are 5 species of sea turtles found along Florida's Beaches.

LOGGERHEAD

The Loggerhead Turtle is the most common turtle on  our beaches. She is named for her immense, block-like head and strong jaws.

LEATHERBACK

The Leatherback Turtle is the largest turtle. She has a leathery shell, can reach up to 7 feet in length and weigh up to 1,500 pounds.

GREEN

The Green Turtle gets her name from the color of her fat. She is an herbivore, eating plants, sea grasses,
​ and algae.

HAWKSBILL

The Hawksbill Turtle has a beautiful, distinct carapace (shell). It is  tortoiseshell in color and almost heart-shaped. 

KEMP'S RIDLEY

The Kemp's Ridley is the most endangered sea turtle in the world. She is relatively small, weighing less than 100 pounds.