Female loggerhead sea turtles (C. Caretta Caretta) tend to return to the beach on which they were hatched every two to three years to nest. Some volunteers at Hunting Island who have participated in the turtle patrol for several nesting seasons may recognize a sea turtle returning to sea, most notably one that has a missing back flipper.
Mating season usually starts around late March and may extend until early June. An adult loggerhead may weigh 170 to 350 pounds or more. The female turtle typically lays 100 to 126 eggs in the nest that is usually 18 to 22 inches deep. Nesting season peaks in June and July while the eggs typically hatch within 45 to 65 days. Atlantic coast loggerhead turtle nests may be found from North Carolina to Florida. If the hatchlings make it to shore and eventually adulthood, they may live 30 to 50 years or more.
According to an article on the Friends of Hunting Island web site entitled “Loggerhead Sea Turtle Rescue Program,” the typical nesting season for loggerhead turtles runs from May 1 until October 31. Making it back to shore may be the biggest challenge for the survival of the hatchlings.
Hunting Island Attracts Loggerhead Turtles During Nesting Season
Many people have sought to protect the endangered loggerhead turtle population at Hunting Island State Park by controlling lights after dark and protecting the nests. Natural threats of erosion, weather patterns and wild animals on the island continue to place these beautiful creatures at risk, but many loggerhead sea turtles return to Hunting Island to continue the life cycle.
Some guests who stroll Hunting Island’s beaches early in the pre-dawn hours may have the opportunity to enjoy the awe-inspiring sight of a female turtle or her hatchlings returning to shore, leaving a distinctive rippled pattern that resembles tire tracks that quickly disappear in the shifting sand.
Mating season usually starts around late March and may extend until early June. An adult loggerhead may weigh 170 to 350 pounds or more. The female turtle typically lays 100 to 126 eggs in the nest that is usually 18 to 22 inches deep. Nesting season peaks in June and July while the eggs typically hatch within 45 to 65 days. Atlantic coast loggerhead turtle nests may be found from North Carolina to Florida. If the hatchlings make it to shore and eventually adulthood, they may live 30 to 50 years or more.
According to an article on the Friends of Hunting Island web site entitled “Loggerhead Sea Turtle Rescue Program,” the typical nesting season for loggerhead turtles runs from May 1 until October 31. Making it back to shore may be the biggest challenge for the survival of the hatchlings.
Hunting Island Attracts Loggerhead Turtles During Nesting Season
Many people have sought to protect the endangered loggerhead turtle population at Hunting Island State Park by controlling lights after dark and protecting the nests. Natural threats of erosion, weather patterns and wild animals on the island continue to place these beautiful creatures at risk, but many loggerhead sea turtles return to Hunting Island to continue the life cycle.
Some guests who stroll Hunting Island’s beaches early in the pre-dawn hours may have the opportunity to enjoy the awe-inspiring sight of a female turtle or her hatchlings returning to shore, leaving a distinctive rippled pattern that resembles tire tracks that quickly disappear in the shifting sand.
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