Hutchinson island is witness to many newborn
babies including endangered sea turtles. If you plan to
visit Hutchinson Island during the summer
months, you may have an opportunity to see
something very few ever get to see, nature at
it's very best; sea turtles nesting. Here you'll learn about the
sea turtles that come up to nest on Hutchinson
Island, find
information how to view nesting turtles and
emerging baby turtles legally and responsibly,
as well as tips and
suggestions to encourage nesting and about the
Florida laws protecting the sea turtles and
nests.
Nesting sea
turtle on Hutchinson Island
Sea Turtle
Tracks
Sea Turtle
signs on Hutchinson Island Public Beaches
Sea turtle
nesting, Hutchinson Island FL
Baby Sea
Turtles emerging from the nest
Sea Turtle
tracks & marked nest
Sea Turtle
on her way back to the ocean after nesting
on Hutchinson Island Florida
Sea Turtles Species Nesting on Hutchinson
Island Florida
Five species of
sea turtles are found swimming in Florida's waters and
three of the five, Loggerhead, Green and Leatherback, nest
right here on Hutchinson Island beaches. Annually, sea turtles
annually make between 40,000 and 84,000 nests along the
Florida coast. The nests are monitored daily during the
109-day sea turtle nesting season (March - October).
Researchers recorded nests and nesting attempts by species,
nest location, and date. During nesting season the nests are
marked with wooden stakes and/or orange tape with the pertinent
information.
Loggerhead Turtles, the most common sea turtle in Florida weighs and average of 275 with a shell of length of 3 feet. 90 percent of all loggerhead nesting occurs in Florida. The majority of this nesting takes place on the east coast of Florida. Loggerheads typically nest in Florida from April through September. Each nest contains on average 100–126 eggs that incubate about 60 days.
Green Turtles weigh an average of 350 lbs and a shell of 3.3 feet. Green turtles nest on Florida’s beaches each year from June through late September. They can lay as many as 10 clutches, with about 12 days between each nesting. The average number of eggs in a clutch is about 115.
Leatherback Turtles weigh anywhere from 500 to 1500 lbs and are about 6 feet in length. Leatherback nesting in Florida occurs from April through July. They lay about 80 fertilized eggs and then covers them with a layer of about 30 unfertilized eggs. protecting the fertilized eggs from predators.
Hawksbill Turtles grow to about 45
inches in shell length and 150 pounds in weight. Mating
occurs every two to three years and normally takes place
in shallow waters close to the shore. The hatchlings
will emerge about 60 days from the date the mother lays
her eggs.
Kemp's Ridley is the most endangered sea turtle and the only sea turtle that doesn't nest in this area. They are the only species of sea turtle known to lay their eggs during the day, laying around 110 eggs per nesting.
Hawksbill Turtles, a critically endangered sea turtle, weighs from 100 to 200 lbs and only has a 30 inch shell length. While the turtle lives a part of its life in the open ocean, it is most often encountered in shallow lagoons and coral reefs where it feeds on its chosen prey, sea sponges. Females drag their heavy bodies high onto the beach during the night, clear out an area and dig a nesting hole using their rear flippers laying a clutch of around 140 eggs.
Florida Sea Turtles Do's and Don'ts
If you journey to the beaches at night,
please familiarize yourself with the Sea Turtles laws in
here Florida. Florida takes it's Sea Turtle Conservation
very serious and certainly doesn't want anyone to get in
trouble while they're here visiting.
All public beaches and many private beaches
have signs to education people on the Sea Turtle dos and
don'ts.
Do:
Throw away foreign objects and debris left behind on the beach
Fill in holes in the sand which may obstruct a sea turtle’s path to and from the ocean
Observe a nesting sea turtle from a distance
and from behind
Look out for disoriented hatchlings on trails and roads near the beach
Keep your Lights Out near the beach or install sea turtle-friendly lighting
Don't:
Don’t interact with or disrupt a nesting sea turtle
Don’t use lighting on the beach at night including flash photography
Don’t touch hatchlings on their way to the ocean
Don’t take any action for empty egg shells, or exposed, un-hatched eggs
Don’t harm or harass sea turtles, their nests or hatchlings
Don’t use shovels to dig on the beach during nesting season
Keep in mind, most of these sea turtles
have had an exhausting, thousands of miles journey to
Hutchinson Island to their lay their eggs. Give them plenty of space
and don't approach them just to get a closer look or to get a picture.
The
opportunity for pictures will come when they are done laying and they are
on their way back to the ocean. It generally takes about an
1 hour to 1 1/2 hours to nest. If you approach them while
they are on their way up the beach or before they have
started laying, they will be scared off and they will turn
around without laying their eggs.
Most sea turtle hatchlings emerge at night
but on occasion, they will emerge in broad daylight. As
tempting as it may be, DO NOT DISTURB the baby sea turtle on
it's way out to sea. Do not go back to the nest and dig it
up to see if any more are in the nest (yes I have witnessed
people doing this!). This is against the law! Sea turtles
have been doing this for millions of years before man even
walked the earth and our interference will only be just
that...an interference. Give these mamas plenty of space and
you'll be rewarded with an experience of a lifetime!
Hutchinson Island Sea Turtles & locals
The people of Hutchinson Island do their best to encourage the nesting sea turtles by keeping their lights off at night, including
not using flashlights on the beaches at night and and picking up the debris that floats ashore. Nesting sea turtles look for dark, quiet beaches to lay their eggs. Lights from buildings along the beach distract and confuse the females,
as well as the hatchlings. Thousands of sea turtles die each
year from eating and becoming entangled in plastic bags and
balloons floating in the water as sea turtles mistake them
for one of their main food sources, jellyfish. Please pick
up your trash on the beach. Do not dig on the beach and fill
in any holes you may see. Leave only foot prints.
Sea Turtle Walks; A Great Way to see Sea
Turtles nesting on Hutchinson Island Florida
We are especially lucky the Sea Turtles have
chosen to nest on Hutchinson Island. There are Sea Turtle
Conservation groups that will take you out on a authorized
turtle Walks where you can learn more about the Sea Turtles,
see them nesting up close and take pictures. If you would
like to witness sea turtles nesting, we suggest contacting
many of our Sea Turtle Conservation groups who are
authorized, supervised and very informative. visit
Hutchinson Island Eco Tourism