Turtle 101 Part 3

Loggerhead Life Cycle

Mating between adults begins off shore in early spring. In Brevard County, sea turtle nesting season runs from May 1st through October 31st.

Females come on shoreto nest at night once every 10-17 days. Once the females chooses a suitable locations she begins to form a body pit. After forming a body pit, the female uses her hind flippers to dig an egg chamber. After completing an egg chamber she will lay, on average, 100 leathery eggs. After laying her last egg she covers the nest with her hind flippers and coversthe area around the nest with her front flippers. When finished, she returns to the sea unitl her next nesting event. She will nest, on average, 3 times during a summer season at two week intervals. She will not return the next summer but will most likely return the following summer.  

After 60-70 days the hatclings emerge from the nest, usually at night. Hatchliings are easily distracted by visible beach front lighting causing them to crawl toward the artificial light and not the ocean. The incubation temerature of the nest determines the sex of the hatchlings, with hotter temperatures producing mostly females and cooler temperatures producing mostly males. ( Remember: Hot chicks - Cool dudes! ).

Once the hatchlings exit the nest, they begin a swiming frenzy trying to reach sargassum weed beds several miles offshore. During this frenzy the hatlings swim almost continuously for several days, without eating. During this time they rely on their remaining yolk sac to provide them with energy. These few days are most likely the most perilous for hatchlings. Predators come in many shapes and sizes and they make an easy snack for fish and brids. Once the hatchlings reach the safety of the sargassum weed beds, they are believed to remain for years in the beds for protection. They are not seen in coastal waters until they reach a size of 8 to 12 inches. CONTINUE