Check out these wonderful Space Coast organizations that offer guided walks on the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, Merritt Island National Widlife Refuge, the Canaveral National Seashore and several highly trafficked beaches in between. Sea Turtle walks are a great, safe way to witness this phenomenon for yourself. Those are fresh hatchling tracks! 2) How Can You Participate in a Sea Turtle Walk? Hatchlings emerge from their nests in impossibly small holes Look closely inside the ovals. Where they emerge from the nest looks kind of like a Ghost Crab burrow, but the tracks will wiggle out to the surf. Baby sea turtle tracks are also exciting to see, but difficult to detect if you don't know what you're looking for. Warmer temperatures will result in female turtles, whereas colder temperatures produce males. An interesting fact is that it’s the temperature that determines the sex of the hatchlings. Hatchlings tend to emerge from their nests in the dark and use the moonlight's reflection on the crashing waves to guide their return (which is why light pollution is so bad for them). From the massive whorls of the Leatherbacks to the choppy strides of a Loggerhead and the "dune wrecker" nests of the Greens, you'll find these tracks most commonly on sunrise strolls before the tide and winds have a chance to erase them from the shoreline.Īs the season rolls on, your chances of seeing hatchlings make their way to sea increase. Each species has a different egg incubation period (the time it takes the turtle to hatch), but generally, it can take anywhere between 45-75 days. You can tell a sea turtle has nested or attempted to nest, by the telltale tracks they leave in the sand. Organizations like the Sea Turtle Preservation Society and others mark these nests with wooden stakes, keep your eyes out for them on your beach days and be very careful not to disturb them. Depending on the species these nests will be up against the dunes, or right in the middle of the beach. Every year Leatherbacks, Loggerheads & Green Sea Turtles (and sometimes a wayward Kemps Ridley) return to our beaches to lay their clutches of eggs. 1) When and What is Sea Turtle Season? Sea turtle season begins March 1 and goes through October 31.įrom nesting to hatching and their mad dash to the sea, the process of nesting is incredible to witness.
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