SEA TURTLES!

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SEA TURTLES!
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Introduction to Sea Turtles

• Marine air-breathing reptiles
• Can be found in tropical and subtropical waters
  throughout the world.
• Seven species worldwide
• Five found off the coast of Florida
• Three species nest on our beaches
• All are endangered or threatened species and are
  protected by Federal, State, County, and
  Municipal laws.

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Sea Turtles and Dinosaurs

• Sea turtles have remained unchanged for 150
  million years.

www.oceansofkansas.com
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Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)

• Endangered worldwide
• Most tropical turtle found in Caribbean Sea,
  Atlantic, Pacific Indian Oceans
• Habitat - estuaries, lagoons, coastal reefs
• 100 200 pounds
• 2 3 feet long
• Omnivore sponges, anemones, shrimp, squid
• 160 eggs/ nest
• Threats harvested for beautiful shell

www.inwater.org
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Green (Chelonia mydas)

• Endangered worldwide
• Found in Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans
• Habitat coastlines, bays sea grass beds
• 400 - 600 pounds
• 3 - 4 feet long
• Herbivore sea grass algae
• 115 eggs/nest
• Threats food, eggs, by catch in shrimping

www.inwater.org
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Loggerhead (Caretta caretta)

• Threatened
• Found in temperate and tropical waters around
  the world
• Habitat Estuaries bays
• 300 - 400 pounds
• 2 - 3 feet long
• Omnivore shellfish on ocean floor, crabs,
  shellfish, mussels
• 100 125 eggs/nest
• Most abundant turtle in FL
• Threats coastal development, habitat
  destruction, shrimping

www.inwater.org
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Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)

• Endangered worldwide.
• Most widely distributed turtle around the world.
  From Alaska to Southern tip of Africa.
• Habitat pelagic open ocean, migrating thousands
  of miles.
• 700 2000 pounds.
• 5 - 9 feet long.
• Shell is made of tiny bone plates covered by
  skin.
• Eat jellyfish.
• 80 eggs/nest
• Threats long-line fishery, pollution, and
  poaching eggs.

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Kemps Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii)

• Critically Endangered
• Found in the Gulf of Mexico
• Habitat Shallow sandy or muddy flats
• 85 100 pounds
• 2 2.5 feet long
• Carnivore crabs, shrimp, fish, squid,
  jellyfish, sea urchins, clams
• Nest in arribadas 110 eggs/nest
• Threats taking for meat and eggs, shrimping
  industry

www.inwater.org
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Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivaceaf)

• Endangered
• Tropical waters worldwide
• Habitat coastal bays, estuaries forage off
  shore
• 2 - 2½ feet long / 75 100 lbs
• Omnivore crustaceans, mollusks, fish
• Nest arribadas 110 eggs/nest
• Threats harvest of adults eggs, commercial
  fishing, habitat destruction

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Flatback (Natator depressus)

• Critically Endangered
• Northern Australia
• Habitat inshore waters, bays, coastal reefs,
  grassy shallows
• 3 - 3½ feet long / 200 lbs
• Omnivore sea cucumbers, jellyfish, mollusks,
  inverts, seaweed
• 55 eggs/nest 4 nests/yr
• Threats harvest of adults eggs, fishing,
  habitat loss, ocean pollution

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Sea Turtles of Florida

• 5 species of turtle are found in Florida.
• 3 turtles nest on Floridas beaches
  Leatherback, Loggerhead Green.

www.inwater.org
www.inwater.org
www.inwater.org
www.inwater.org
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Sea Turtle Nesting Behavior and Emergence Process
Jeremy Conrad
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Sea Turtle Nesting Behavior

• Floridas Nesting Season (March 1 to October 31)
• Adult female turtles exhibit nest site fidelity.
• Nest at night
• Nesting Process consists of 7 stages can last 4
  hours.
• Sea turtles can lay b/w 80-150 eggs/nest.

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7 Stages of the Nesting Process

• Arrival female turtle emerges from the ocean
  onto the beach.

Marinebio.org
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Nest Construction
Body pitting removal of the top dry layer of
sand. The turtle needs moist sand to dig nest.
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Nest Construction
Digging Nest is dug with rear flippers only.
Each flipper alternates digging. Turtle digs
until it can no longer reach the bottom of the
nest.
Earthwatch
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Egg Deposition (Laying)
Laying Turtle slips into a trance and lays her
eggs.
www.marinecreatures.com
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Tamping Camouflaging
Tamping Rear flippers bury the eggs and pack
down the sand. Camouflaging Using the front
flippers, the turtle throw sand around the nest
site to hide the nest from predators.
www.kevinschafer.com
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Return to the Ocean
Exiting After laying and burying her eggs, the
turtle returns to the ocean.
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The Hatching Process

• Eggs take 45 80 days to incubate hatch
• Use egg tooth to pip shell
• Hatchlings work together to emerge from nest
  (sand elevator). This can take several days
• Swim frenzy-swim for several days pass reef to
  sargassum mats
• 1 in 1,000 survives to adult

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Emergence
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What Does Endangered Mean?

• Endangered Species Act of 1973 protects plants
  or animals that are listed by the federal
  government as endangered or threatened.
• Provides a means to conserve the ecosystem upon
  which endangered and threatened species depend,
  thus preventing extinction
• Can not harm, kill, or harass any sea turtle,
  nests, eggs, or hatchlings.

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What Does Endangered Mean?

• CITES (Convention on International Trade in
  Endangered Species of Wild Fauna Flora)
  Regulates and prohibits international trade of
  plant animal species that are threatened or
  endangered.
• Can not transport, sell, or trade any
  endangered species product. (ex turtle shells,
  meat, or eggs)

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What Does Endangered Mean?

• Critically endangered Facing an extremely high
  risk of extinction from the wild in the immediate
  future.
• Endangered species An animal or plant species
  in danger of extinction throughout all or a
  significant portion of its range.
• Threatened species An animal or plant species
  likely to become endangered with in the
  foreseeable future throughout all or a
  significant portion of its range.

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What Is Extinction Why Is It Bad?

• Extinction the last individual of a species
  dies and there are no more of that species on
  earth.
• Each species of animal has its place and a
  specific role in the ecosystem.
• Extinction of a species results in an imbalance
  in the ecosystem.
• Scientific evidence reveals that we are in the
  midst of and largely responsible for the 6th and
  largest mass extinction in the earths history.

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Sea Turtles The Environment

• Food Web Sea turtles are valuable to the
  environment because they are part of the food web
  for all living creatures. Adult turtles are a
  food source for sharks and for humans.
  Hatchlings are a food source for birds, crabs,
  and fish.
• Turtles eat sponges and sea grass, crabs,
  shrimp, and fish. Turtles help to keep
  populations of their food sources in balance.

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Sea Turtles and the Environment

• Sea turtles are a primary transporter of marine
  nutrients to terrestrial habitats.
• Sea turtle nests are full of nutrients and
  energy for the terrestrial ecosystem.
• Unhatched eggs, dead hatchlings, and decaying
  material provide nutrition and energy for plants
  and dune vegetation, bacteria, insects, fungi,
  invertebrates, birds, crabs, and fish.

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Threats to Sea Turtles
Natural Threats Predation of adults and
hatchlings, weather (hurricanes erosion), and
climate change. Predation of adults include
Killer Whales, Sharks, Jaguars, Feral Dogs and
Humans Predation of hatchlings include
Raccoons, Mongoose, Rats, Birds, Ants, Wild
Boars, Feral Cats Dogs, Crabs, Fish, Plants,
and Humans
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Threats to Sea Turtles

• Anthropogenic threats Threats to sea turtles as
  a result of human actions.
• Human threats include
• Harvesting poaching of eggs and adults
• International trade and commerce of turtle
  products
• Commercial fishing shrimping
• Urbanization, development, coastal armoring
  habitat destruction
• Artificial lighting
• Pollution debris.

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Natural Threats
Birds, Crabs Vertebrates are predators of
hatchlings
Jarrad Sherborne
Jeremy Conrad
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Natural Threats
Sharks Are a natural predator of sea turtles.
www.seaturtlehospital.org
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Natural Threats
Erosion Hurricanes and storm surge can cause
erosion which washes out and drowns nests.
Earthwatch
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Human Threats
Artificial lighting - can disorient hatchlings
away from the ocean and discourage adults from
nesting.
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Human Threats
Development and Armoring reduce nesting habitat
research.myfwc.com
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Human Threats
Illegal Harvesting
Marinebio.org
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Human Threats
Turtles are poached for food and eggs. Poaching
is common in third world countries and the
Caribbean.
Jeremy Conrad
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Fishing Gear
Fishing Nets can entangle turtles restricting
movements and trap turtles underwater resulting
in death by drowning.
www.stemnet.nf.ca
newsfromkkp.blogspirit.com
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Fishing Gear
Fishing hooks and long lines can create serious
injuries and even kill sea turtles.
www.panda.org
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Fishing Gear
Turtle escaping from a T.E.D. (Turtle Excluder
Device)
research.myfwc.com
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Conservation Goals

• Enforce laws against illegal poaching of sea
  turtles and their eggs
• Protect nesting beaches from armoring,
  artificial lighting, and development through
  establishment of parks and refuges
• Eliminate illegal international trade of sea
  turtles and their products
• Reduce turtle deaths from commercial fishing
  and shrimping

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Conservation Goals

• Enforce local, national, and international laws
  to reduce dumping of pollution, solid waste and
  toxins into the ocean and sensitive sea turtle
  habitats
• Increase education and public awareness about
  sea turtle conservation efforts and how the
  community can get involved.
• Continued and increased research of sea turtle
  populations, their habitats (nesting beach and in
  water migrations) and their behavior.

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Ways you can help sea turtles . . .

• Pick up trash at the beach and place in garbage
  can
• Volunteer for beach cleanups
• Buy turtle safe shrimp
• Hold onto your balloons
• Dont feed the raccoons and foxes
• Build sand castles near the water as they may
  obstruct nesting attempts or disorient hatchlings
  emerging from the nest.

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What to do if you see a turtle nesting

• Stay clear of and out of the sight of the
  turtle. Your movement could disturb the turtle
  and scare it back into the sea.
• Do not shine your light at the turtle.
• Do not take pictures with flashes as this will
  disorient the turtle and cause it to abort the
  nest.

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What to do if you see a turtle nesting

• Do not approach, touch, or ride the turtle.
  This is for your safety as well as the turtles.
• Do not touch, take or handle turtle eggs.
• Do not destroy the tracks left by the turtle as
  they are important for researchers to help locate
  and protect the nest.
• Do enjoy the experience

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QUESTIONS?