Life of a Sea Turtle
Sea turtles embark on an extraordinary journey from the moment they are laid as eggs to their adult lives in the ocean. Each stage of their life cycle is filled with unique challenges and incredible resilience.
From Egg to Hatchling
A sea turtle’s life begins as a tiny egg buried in the warm sands of a nesting beach. The eggs incubate for about 60 days and when the hatchlings are ready to break free, they will use their tiny little egg tooth (caruncle) to free themselves from the shell. Once hatched, the baby turtles will make a coordinated effort to climb to the surface, usually under the cover of night. The hatchlings will make their crawl to the safety of the ocean.
Crawl to the Ocean
By following the natural brightness of the moon’s reflection on the ocean’s horizon, together the hatchlings will make their essential crawl to the safety of the sea. This journey is critical for their survival and long-term navigation. Every step they take strengthens their muscles and lungs while simultaneously imprinting the location of the beach. This crawl is essentially setting their internal GPS which enables them to return to the same location years later to mate and nest.
The Lost Years
After reaching the ocean, the hatchlings swim and are carried out to the open waters by ocean currents. There isn’t much known about this time in a sea turtle’s life, commonly referred to as “The Lost Years”. It is believed that the sea turtles from the East coast of the Americas eventually find refuge in the floating beds of sargassum seaweed created by the North Atlantic Gyre, the oceanic currents and weather patterns that form the Sargasso Sea in the Mid-Atlantic. Here there are calmer warmer waters that offer plenty of nutrients and protection increasing the sea turtle's chance of survival.
Juvenile Stage
As the sea turtle grows into its juvenile stage it will migrate from the open ocean to coastal areas in search of nutrient rich in foods. Here, they begin to establish their feeding grounds and develop stronger shells for protection. They will remain in foraging tin these coastal waters until the time they reach sexual maturity. Once mature they will navigate to their mating grounds often near to the beach they hatched years earlier.
Adulthood
It can take 10 to 50 years for sea turtles to reach maturity, depending on the species. When it is their time both males and females will return to the areas close to the beach where they were born. Here they will mate and when it is time the female will come ashore to lay her eggs. A green or Hawksbill female will typically nest between 2-4 times every couple of years and a leatherback can nest up to 10 times in one season.
Nesting
It can take 10 to 50 years for sea turtles to reach maturity, depending on the species. When it is their time both males and females will return to the areas close to the beach where they were born. Here they will mate and when it is time the female will come ashore to lay her eggs. A Green or Hawksbill female will typically nest between 2-4 times every couple of years and a Leatherback can nest up to 10 times in one season. The average nest size varies but can be anywhere from 90 to 180 eggs.
Hawksbill's emerging from nest.
Hawksbill's first feel of the ocean.
Green covering her nest.
Leatherback emerging.
