Sea Turtle Release
Vanderbilt Beach
January, 2010

Sea Turtles in Florida
• Five species of sea turtles are found
swimming in Florida's waters and nesting
on Florida's beaches. All sea turtles found
in Florida are protected under state
statutes.
• Illegal harvesting, habitat encroachment,
and pollution all impact the survival of Sea
Turtles in Florida.

Florida services to save Sea
Turtles:
• FWRI staff members
coordinate the Florida
Sea Turtle Stranding
and Salvage Network
(FLSTSSN), which is
responsible for
gathering data on dead
or debilitated (i.e.,
stranded) Sea Turtles
found in Florida.
• Debilitated turtles are
rescued and transported
to rehabilitation
facilities.
• The Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation
Commission oversees
Sea Turtle programs Photo Credit FWC
throughout the state.

FAQs about Sea Turtles
From an article by Joanne Harcke
• Like all turtles, Sea Turtles are
reptiles.
• They are cold-blooded vertebrates
with scaly skin, lungs and a three-
chambered heart.
• Sea turtles lay eggs.
• The turtle's upper shell is called
the carapace. The carapace is
covered in hard scales called
scutes.
• The lower shell is called the
plastron.
• Sea Turtles do not have teeth, but
the jaw is a modified beak. Sea
Turtles have no visible ears, but
they do have eardrums that are
covered by skin.
• Sea turtles have good vision
underwater, but do not see well
out of water.

FAQs about Sea Turtles
Sea turtles have shells
streamlined for
swimming, and have
flippers instead of legs.
– These adaptations allow
sea turtles to move
effortlessly through the
water.
– They are strong
swimmers and deep
divers.
Green turtles can stay
underwater for up to five
hours.
Photo Credit Dulcey Lima

Sea Turtle
Sea vs. land turtles
• Because the shell is so
streamlined, Sea
Turtles cannot retract
their heads or flippers
to protect themselves Photo Credit Dulcey Lima
from predators.
• Although the earliest Land Turtle
Sea Turtles evolved
from terrestrial
turtles, they are
poorly adapted for life
on land.
Photo Credit Tony Northrup

Taxonomy:
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
Suborder: Cryptodira
Family: Dermochelyidae
Photo Credit Dulcey Lima

How big are Sea Turtles?
• Even the smallest Sea Turtles
are larger than their land-
going counterparts.
• Green turtles are 30-44
inches long and weigh
between 150 and 400
pounds.
• Kemp's and Olive Ridleys are
the smallest Sea Turtles with
the largest averaging around
30 inches long and about 100
pounds.
• Leatherbacks are the largest Naples News Photo by David Alberg taken when
sea turtles, reaching lengths this Leatherback turtle beached twice in Lee
of 4-6 feet and weights from County in January. The disoriented Leatherback
400 to over 1000 pounds.
was out of its normal territory and was estimated
to weigh between 600 and 700 pounds.

How long do sea turtles live
and what colors are they?
• Sea turtles can live as
long as eighty years, if
not more.
• They range in color
from yellow through
dark green, brown,
and black.
Roatan Hawksbill Turtle
Photo credit George Gardner.

Where are Sea Turtles found?
• Some sea turtle species range in
warm oceans world-wide, while
others are limited to certain oceans
or regions.
• Greens, leatherbacks, and
loggerheads can be found in all
oceans, except at the poles.
• Hawksbill turtles also range world-
wide, but are found primarily in
tropical reef habitats in the
Caribbean and in tropical Australia.
• The Flatback is also found in
Australian waters. Kemp's Ridley is
an Atlantic turtle, preferring the
western North Atlantic.
• The Olive Ridley calls the Pacific
Ocean home.
• Sea turtles generally prefer
shallower waters like bays, lagoons
and estuaries, though many travel
through the open sea.

How do Sea Turtles return to
their nesting areas?
• They may migrate hundreds
or even thousands of miles.
• In the water, their path is
greatly affected by powerful
currents.
• Despite their limited vision
and lack of landmarks in the
open water, turtles are able
to retrace their migratory
paths.
• One explanation for this
phenomenon is that sea
turtles use the earth’s
magnetic fields to navigate. Diagram Credit Origami ‘n Stuff
Information from Save the Turtles.

Mating
• Courtship and mating for most sea
turtles is believed to occur during a
limited "receptive" period prior to
the female's first nesting
emergence.
• Afterwards, only females come
ashore to nest. Males almost
never return to land once they
leave the sand of their natal
beach.
• During mating season, males may
court a female by nuzzling her
head or by gently biting the back
of her neck and rear flippers.
• If the female does not flee, the
male attaches himself to the back
of the female's shell by gripping Photo Credit MIR (earlham.edu)
her top shell with claws in his front Green Sea Turtles Mating
flippers. He then folds his long tail
under her shell to copulate.

Mating
• Females observed on the nesting
beach after recently mating often
have scratched shells and may be
bleeding from where the males' were
hooked to their shells.
• Copulation can take place either on
the surface or under water.
• Sometimes several males will compete
for females and may even fight each
other.
• Observers of sea turtle mating have
reported very aggressive behavior by
both the males and females.
• Females may mate with several males
just prior to nesting season and store
the sperm for several months.
• When the female finally lays her eggs,
they will have been fertilized by a
variety of males.
• This behavior may help keep genetic Photo Credit Chuck Babbit
diversity high in the population. Green Sea Turtles mating.

How do Sea Turtles lay their
eggs?
• Even though sea turtles spend
most of their lives in the water, all
begin life on the beach.
• The female sea turtle emerges
from to ocean to nest very close
to the beach where she was
hatched (the ability to return to
the place of one's birth is called
natal homing).
• The nesting season in the United
States is between April and
October.
• Most females crawl out of the
water at night and spend several
hours digging a nest, laying eggs,
and covering the nest before
returning to the ocean.
•
Sea turtle digging nest in Australia.
Mongabay.com

How is the Leatherback’s nest
made?
• When the female Leatherback is ready to nest, she will choose a
beach without a coral reef and one close to the deep water.
• She chooses a dry area and begins the arduous task of nest
excavation.
– Using her flippers and the rotation of her body, she will dig an egg
cavity that is approximately 70 centimeters deep. She will then lay 80
to 100 eggs, a process that can take over two hours.
– She lays an average of 80 fertilized eggs and 30 smaller, unfertilized
eggs in each nest.
– After she is finished, she will carefully cover and camouflage the clutch,
and may even construct false nests to fool predators.
– Her role now complete, she will depart to the ocean, leaving her eggs to
their fate.
• Recent satellite tracking data indicates that the Leatherback,
unique among turtles in many ways, may return to a range area or
region, rather than a natal beach.
• The ecological health of the nesting habitat has an impact on the
success of Sea Turtle reproduction.

Eggs and sex determination
• The nest holds about 120
eggs, each about the size of a
ping-pong ball. Most females
will nest more than once each
season to increase survival
rates, but usually do not nest
every year.
• The eggs incubate for
approximately 55 days.
Incubation time is directly
related to nest temperature.
At colder temperatures the
hatchlings take longer to
develop.
• Temperature also determines
whether the hatchlings are
male or female. Warmer
temperatures tend to produce
more females. Photo credit Brevard County

What happens when the eggs
hatch?
• The hatchlings emerge from the nest at night and follow the
moonlight into the ocean.
• Once in the water, the hatchlings have to avoid many
predators before reaching floating Sargasso weeds.
• Scientists think that small sea turtles spend several years
floating in the seaweed, eating and growing.
• Once they are large enough, the young turtles will return to
coastal waters to forage and continuing growing.
• At fifteen to twenty years of age, sea turtles reach maturity.
Mature turtles will gather in mating areas.
• Females mate with several males before making the
journey back to the nesting beach to lay their eggs.

What do Sea Turtles do in the
water?
• Typically sea turtles are
solitary animals that spend
most of the day feeding
and resting.
• Sea turtles can sleep on
the surface of the water, or
on the bottom.
• Scuba divers often see
turtles napping under
rocks and ledges.
• Previous tagging and
tracking studies have
shown that sea turtles can
migrate thousands of
miles.
Photo Credit Semarnat
Earlham.edu

Why are Sea Turtles
endangered?
• Today only seven species of
sea turtle exist world-wide.
All seven species are listed as
"threatened" or
"endangered" under the
Endangered Species Act.
• Young sea turtles have many
natural predators. Raccoons,
dogs and ghost crabs raid
nests and devour eggs.
• Hatchlings on the beach are
easy targets for crabs and
birds.
• Once in the ocean, sharks
and large fish can easily
consume a small hatchling.
• Hatchlings can die of
dehydration before they An Eco-guard in Gabon West Africa poses next to a female
reach the water. Leatherback as she heads to the sea.
www.eurocbc.org/seaturtletrackingconservationproject

Why are Sea Turtles
endangered?
• Human interaction has caused the biggest collapse of sea turtle
populations.
• Humans can interfere with every stage of a sea turtle’s life cycle.
– Beachfront development, beach nourishment projects, driving on
beaches, and artificial lighting all impact sea turtle nesting behavior.
– Boating, fishing, and dredging can harm or even kill swimming sea
turtles.
• Sea turtles can drown when they become entangled in floating garbage,
and they can ingest floating debris.
• Sea turtles and their eggs are harvested for food and other materials in
some parts of the world.
• Most harmful interactions between humans and sea turtles are
unintentional.
• The increased human presence in coastal areas results in increased
interactions between humans and sea turtles.
• Global warming has modified the habitat of Sea Turtles.

What can be done to limit deleterious
effects of humans on Sea Turtle
populations?
• Plan and regulate beachfront development, beach driving,
and lighting.
• Require Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) on all offshore
shrimping boats. The U.S. requires this from North Carolina
to Texas.
– These "trapdoors" allow turtles to escape from shrimp nets as
they are pulled through the water.
• The Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) prohibits the
international trade of sea turtles.
Joanne Harcke, who wrote these FAQs, is Conservation and Research
Coordinator at the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island.

What do Sea Turtles eat?
• Green turtles, and
probably flatbacks are
primarily vegetarian.
• Loggerheads like
jellyfish, shrimp, clam,
and mollusk.
• Leatherbacks like soft-
bodied animals like
jellyfish.

Colier County Sea Turtle
Release
January, 2010

Sea Turtle rescue from Florida
panhandle
• 15 sea turtles were
brought to North Naples to
be released in the warmer
waters of the gulf on
January 20th, 2010.
• The turtles were part of
1,500 that were rescued
from the cold waters of St.
Joseph’s Bay near the
Florida panhandle during
the recent freezing
weather.
• The turtles spent the last
week warming up at the
federal fish hatchery near
Ocala. Photo Credit Florida Wildlife Conservation

Volunteers and Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission
teamed up to save the turtles.
• The turtles are part of a
massive statewide
operation by the Florida
Fish and Wildlife
Conservation
Commission and
countless partner
agencies.
• With local volunteers,
these groups are trying
to save thousands of Sea
Turtles that have come
ashore in January,
paralyzed by the cold
water and unable to eat
or swim. Photo Credit FWC

Vanderbilt Beach chosen as
one of the release beaches.
• The release started
earlier Tuesday when
a crew from Disney
World brought the
turtles from the Ocala
area to Sarasota.
• Volunteers with Anna
Maria Island Turtle
Watch drove the
turtles from Sarasota
to the warm waters of
Colier County and
Vanderbilt Beach.
Photo Credit FWC

Turtles caught by cold snap
were studied and tagged
before the release.
• Conservationists have
tagged more turtles than
ever before, which will
help scientists learn more
about where they go and
their rate of survival.
• Scientists take genetic
information from the
turtles before they are
released to find out where
each turtle hatched.
Information from:
www.naplesnews.com/staf
f/eric_staats
Photo Credit FWC

Waiting in line to be released:
Photo Credit Dulcey Lima

Tagged and ready for reentry…
Photo Credit Dulcey Lima

The race to the gulf…
• About 30 people witnessed
the release of the Sea
Turtles on Vanderbilt
Beach on January 20th,
2010.
• All of the turtles reentered
the water successfully.
• The turtles will be
monitored to determine
the long term success of
the rehabilitation program
and their release back into
the wild.
Photo Credit Dulcey Lima

Ready to go…
• Sea Turtles lack
the ability to tuck
their heads inside
their shells like
land turtles.
• The wide flippers
replace the legs
characteristic of
land turtles.
Photo Credit Dulcey Lima

What distinguishes each
species of Sea Turtle?
• The outer shell or carapace
is the primary feature used
in the identification of Sea
Turtle species.
• The number of scutes on
the carapace, their shape,
coloring and patterning is
specific to each species.
• The prefrontal scales
located on the turtle’s head
are also used to distinguish
each species.
Photo Credit Dulcey Lima

How many species of Sea Turtles
are there?
There are seven species of Sea Turtles.
• Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)
• Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)
• Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)
• Green (Chelonia mydas)
• Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)
• Olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea)
• Flatback (Natator depressus)

Leatherback (Dermachelys
coriasea)
• Largest of all Sea
Turtles.
• Only Sea Turtle
with a soft,
leathery shell.
• Most in danger of
extinction.
• Largest reptile in
the sea.
Photo Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Hawksbill Sea Turtle
(Eretmochelys imbricata)
• Known for their
Hawk-like beak.
• Often hunted for
their beautiful
shell.
Hawksbill photo credit Caroline Rogers

Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)
• Known for
their large
heads.
• Known to
migrate from
Japan to
Mexico.
Photo Credit Marco Giuliano/Fondazione
Cetacea

Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia
mydas)
• Largest of hard-
shelled Sea Turtles.
• As an adult, the
only Sea Turtle
that is herbivorous.
• Its diet of algae
and plants
contributes to its
green coloration.
Photo Credit Turtle Trax
earlham.edu

Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidopchyles
kempii)
• Smallest of the Sea Turtles.
• Almost round shell is
grayish green.
• Named after the man who
first studied this turtle.
• Usually occupy muddy or
sandy bottom habitats
where they find their prey
of jellyfish, fish and
mollusks.
• Nest in a large group near
Rancho Nuevo, Mexico.
• Distributed throughout the
Gulf of Mexico and the
Atlantic seaboard .
Photo Credit: Cynthia Rubio and NPS

Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys
olivacea)
• Named for its olive color.
• Heart shaped shell.
• Most abundant sea turtle in
the world.
• The carapace is greater in
height than other Sea Turtles.
• The females nest in enormous
numbers at the same time.
• As many as 60,000 get caught
in fishing nets each year and
die.
• Orida, India has one of the
largest Olive Ridley nesting
sites in the world.
Photo Credit Kedar Gore

Flatback (Natator depressa)
• Indigenous to
Australia and is the
only turtle that does
not have a range that
extends to another
country.
• So named because of
its flat shell.
• Olive-gray elliptical
shell with turned up
edges.
• Lives in turbid,
inshore waters.

How can beachgoers help Sea
Turtles?
• If sea turtle eggs are discovered
rolling around on the beach or in the
surf, leave the eggs alone. The eggs
still contribute to the beach and
ocean ecosystems in the form of
nutrients.
• If you find a nest that is eroding
away, contact the FWC's Wildlife
Alert Hotline at 1-888-404-3922.
• If you find a hatchling that is
actively crawling to the surf, allow it
to continue its trek to the ocean
without interference.
• If you find a hatchling that is not
actively crawling or appears sick,
injured or lethargic, contact the Photo Credit from article by Dr.
Wildlife Alert Hotline. Do not put Jean Lightner USDA
these hatchlings in the water. They
will need rehabilitation before they
return to the ocean.

How can beachgoers protect
Sea Turtles?
• Do not dig into a marked or
unmarked nest to save eggs or
hatchlings as a storm
approaches or recedes.
• No one should transport eggs
or hatchlings without
authorization from the FWC.
Eggs and/or hatchlings may not
be kept in homes or personal
aquariums. Photo Credit Dulcey Lima
• Avoid lights on the beach
during nesting season.
Vanderbilt Beach Resort and other private
• Allow nature’s own processes facilities work to protect Sea Turtle nests
to continue uninterrupted by on the beach by growing native plants,
human contact. preventing foot traffic in nesting areas
and practicing good stewardship of the
beach and the sea.

Tagged and ready for reentry.

‘Til next time….
Photo Credit Dulcey Lima

For More Information……..
• For more information on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s
National Sea Turtle program, write to:
National Sea Turtle Coordinator
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
7915 Baymeadows Way, Suite 200
Jacksonville, FL 32256
• For more information on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s
International Sea Turtle program, write to:
International Sea Turtle Specialist
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Division of International Conservation
4401 North Fairfax Drive
ARLSQ - Room 200
Arlington, VA 22203-1622
• Additional Websites:
Seaturtle.org/tracking: See satellite tracking of sea turtles
Save the turtles at www.costaricaturtles.com

SAFE PASSAGE!
Special thanks to the many
groups and individuals whose information and
photographs contributed to this presentation.