Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch, Inc.
Sea Turtle FAQ's
� Can I visit Amelia Island and watch turtles nesting?
We no not conduct turtle walks to look for and observe sea turtles nesting. Our volunteers survey the beach at daybreak each morning looking for signs that turtle came ashore during the night.
� Can I watch hatchlings come out of the nest and go to the water?
Hatchlings can emerge from a nest anytime within a 10 window, and anytime from sunset to sunup. It would be almost impossible to observe hatchlings emerging.
� Do hatchlings need a full moon to find the ocean after they emerge from their nest?
This is a myth. Hatchlings emerge from their nests at all phases of the moon and successfully find the ocean. We do invite the public to attend our excavations. Excavations are conducted after a nest has already emerged. An inventory is taken of the nest contents. If live hatchlings are found trapped in the nest, they are released at that time. Check the "Excavation Schedule" for times and locations.
� How do hatchlings know the direction of the ocean when they emerge from their nests?
Sea turtles are born with the instinct to move toward the brightest direction. Under natural conditions, this direction is the light of the open horizon.
� How long to sea turtles live?
Sea Turtles can live 40 to 60 years or more.
� How long does it take before the eggs hatch?
Sea turtle eggs have an incubation period of about two months.
� How many nests are laid in Florida?
Along the Florida coast, sea turtles annually make between 20,000 and 84,000 nests.
� How many nests does each female sea turtle lay?
Females nest every two to three years, laying several nests on sandy beaches. After digging a hole and depositing about 80 to 120 eggs, the females fill in the hole with sand and camouflage the nest before returning to the sea.
� How many species of sea turtles are listed as endangered or threatened?
All five Florida species are listed s either endangered or threatened. The federal Endangered Species Act lists the green, leatherback, hawksbill, and Kemp?s ridley turtle as endangered and the loggerhead is listed as threatened. This makes it illegal to harm, harass, or kill any sea turtle, their eggs, or hatchlings. It is also illegal to import, sell, or transport turtles or their products.
� How many species of sea turtles are there in Florida?
Five species of sea turtles can be found in Florida:
- Hawksbill Turtle
- Kemp's ridley
- Loggerhead Turtle
- Leatherback Turtle
- Green Turtle
� How much do sea turtles weigh?
Sea turtles range in size from the 75 to 100 pound Kemp's ridley to the 1,300 pound, 8 foot long leatherback.
� What can I do to help protect Florida's sea turtles?
- Organize or join a beach clean up day. Check with organizations or schools in your area to become involved in cleaning the beaches of trash that could be harmful to wildlife.
- Do not leave fishing line behind. This entangles many types of wildlife including sea turtles.
- Do not feed sea turtles or other wildlife. This encourages them to approach people in traffic areas.
- Never buy products made from sea turtles.
- Reduce the amount of plastic garbage you produce.
- Turn off the lights! Keep beach front lights off throughout the night from May to October as they can confuse sea turtles during the nesting season. Suggested alternatives to decrease artificial lighting include use of motion sensors for safety, dark window tinting and curtains to cover inside light, and yellow incandescent light bulbs (bug lights). Studies have also shown that light from low-pressure sodium vapor sources don't affect turtles as much as high-pressure sodium lights. Avoid fluorescent, mercury vapor, metal halide and white incandescent lighting.
- Oppose coastal armoring. The fewer obstacles sea turtle have to overcome, the better their chances of successful nesting.
- Reduce the amount of fertilizers you use. Ordinary lawn and garden fertilizers wash into coastal waters killing plants and animals. Look for biodegradable alternatives, and correctly dispose of used toxic chemicals.