Sea Turtles and their Babies

[DebbyDiver]

Tonight we did something so much fun, we joined some friends at the lovely Anne Kolb Nature Center in Hollywood for the program "Sea Turtles and their Babies" (link is to a .pdf file about the program). There was a wonderful presentation by graduate students from Nova Oceanographic Center, and we learned a lot about sea turtles and sea turtle conservation efforts.

After the presentation, they brought out a bucket of baby loggerhead turtles for us to admire and photograph. There was NO photography allowed on the beach because lights disorient them from heading toward the water. Photos below and I also took a video, I've never used video mode on my digicam before so it's not the best but it still has a tremendous awwwwww factor.

14-second video of baby loggerhead turtles here.

A baby loggerhead held up by one of the graduate students:

Bucket o' Turtles ready to be released:

I highly recommend this program to any of you who can get yourselves there. Take your kids; the kids in attendance loved it!!

SEA TURTLES AND THEIR BABIES​

-Anne Kolb event focuses on species of sea turtles in South Florida-​

WHAT: Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park, Hollywood, presents the popular program SEA TURTLES AND THEIR BABIES at 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, beginning Wednesday, July 5, and running through Friday, September 1. This educational series covers a variety of topics related to sea turtles and their plight. Following an hour slide presentation and lecture, participants accompany a naturalist on a hatchling release to see what these tiny creatures face during their crucial minutes of life. Participants will also learn to identify the species of sea turtles found in South Florida, their habitat, breeding and nesting, identification of crawls and nests, conservation efforts, past exploitation, and current management problems now facing sea turtles. The fee is $3 per person and limited to 50 people per session. Pregistration is required, and is accepted daily, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Mangrove Hall at the Anne Kolb Nature Center. The program is subject to change or cancellation if program conditions are not favorable.
WHERE: Anne Kolb Nature Center at West Lake Park
751 Sheridan St.
Hollywood
954-926-2480
WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, beginning Wednesday, July 5, and running through Friday, September 1.
WHO: All ages.
HOW: Fee: $3/person, plus quarters for parking meters at the release sites. Preregistration is required.

For further information, call the park at 954-926-2480.

 

[Caleb Brown]

We got to see this nest of hatchlings come out of the sand when we were on a beach in Antigua a few weeks ago. Can anyone tell me which species this is?

 

[DebbyDiver]

Holy resurrected thread, Batman!!!

Some friends of mine are trained volunteers who walk the beaches every night to help the sea turtles...if you are interested in helping, PM me and I'll forward your info to them.

 

[fisheyeview]

Those are baby leatherbacks.

 

[Caleb Brown]

Thanks, Fisheyeview

 

[sportxlh]

I saw a sea turtle nest erupt with the young turtles last July (2008) on Jupiter Beach while I was walking my dog. Spectacular sight seeing the initial 'carpet' of young turtles burst from the nest and make their way to the ocean. After a few moments, the nest only disgorged smaller groups of 3 or 4 turtles every few seconds and eventually the turtles came out in singles or pairs. Probably took 15 minutes total for the nest to empty: but the fist few minutes were very dramatic. Catching a glimpse of them at the waters edge in their first swim also left an impression. But one could only capture a glimpse since they swim off and vanish quickly once they hit the ocean. Odd thing about the encounter is that it occured at about 10:30 in the morning: an unusual time of day for a nest to hatch. I wish I had brought a camera but don't tend to do so when I walk the dog since we both usually end up getting wet from the surf.