FREQUENTLY ASKED TURTLE QUESTIONS
Why does the nesting turtle “cry”?
Nesting sea turtles appear to shed tears, but in fact these salty secretions are the turtles’ way of ridding the body of excess salt consumed at sea. There are tales told about how the mother is crying because the nesting process is so difficult, or because so many of her eggs are stolen by man and other predators, or because she will never see her tiny hatchlings. But the truth is that all sea turtles “cry”, whether they are on land or in the sea. It’s an important part of their physiology.
How many eggs does a Leatherback lay?
A Leatherback will lay approximately 85 to 100 eggs each time she nests.
How often does she nest?
A Female Leatherback will nest once every 2 to 3 years. When it is her “nesting” year she will put down 7 to 10 nests at 10 to 12 day intervals. The amount of nests is dependent on the age/size of the turtle. The larger/older the turtle the more eggs she is able to store inside her.
Do the male Leatherbacks ever come ashore?
No. Once the male hatchlings emerge from their nest they head to the sea and remain there for the rest of their lives. The only time we might see a male is prior to nesting season when they mate with the females, close to the nesting beaches but still at sea.
Why are the Leatherbacks on the “critically endangered” list?
Because the worldwide populations has declined so rapidly in the last 20 years. They are expected to be extinct in the Pacific ocean in the net 5 to 10 years. The Atlantic population may last only 20 to 30 years longer.
Why is that?
There are a number of reasons why their decline is at such a rapid rate. Loss of habitat due to coastal development and beach erosion. Pollution in our oceans such as oil slicks, red tide etc. Plastic bags in the water look like jellyfish to a turtle, if they eat it, the plastic bag is non-digestible and will stick in their throats and cause them to suffocate. One of the biggest culprits is longlines laid for miles in the sea to catch tune/swordfish. Turtles often become snared or entangled in these and since they need to surface periodically to breathe they end up drowning. Poaching of nesting females and eggs is another factor.
How long do Leatherbacks live?
It is thought that Leatherbacks have a lifespan of 75 years. However, due to the extreme conditions they now face (mentioned above) it is doubtful that many live that long. Here in Tobago the nesting females are much smaller than 20 years ago.
How old are the females when they start to nest?
Scientists believe females start to lay at about age 25.
Why do the turtles nest in Tobago?
The turtles that nest here were born in Tobago. Turtles always return to their beach of birth to lay their eggs. Although Leatherbacks travel to colder regions such as Canada, Newfoundland, etc. they prefer the tropical & subtropical beaches to nest as they provide better incubation for their eggs. The temperature of the sand determines the sex of the hatchlings. If the sand is too cold it will produce male hatchlings, if it is too warm, we get all females.
What do Leatherbacks eat?
Leatherbacks eat only jellyfish and it is thought that the reason they travel such tremendous distances is that they are following their food source.
Why is “Turtle Beach” the favourite beach in Tobago for Leatherbacks?
Because it has a deepwater approach; the Leatherbacks are so large it is easier for them to get closer to the shore at Turtle Beach and onto the beach more quickly. They would never nest at Pigeon Point as it is too shallow for such large reptiles, they would be dragging on the bottom long before they reached the sand and would waste valuable energy just trying to reach the beach.
Why don’t we just breed them in captivity or collect the eggs in a hatchery?
One of the most interesting aspects of sea turtle biology is that the sex of developing embryos is determined by temperature! Female turtles are produced in warmer nests, males in cooler locations, a temperature of about 30 ºC produces roughly equal numbers of males and females. Careful round the clock monitoring is therefore necessary to ensure that the natural gender balance is maintained as a population of all males or all females would be unable to reproduce.
How do you know the difference between a male and a female?
Mature male turtles have a distinguishable tail that extends well beyond the end of the carapace / shell, but it is virtually impossible to tell the difference at the juvenile stage by sight. This is one of the challenges to enforcement of our current Fisheries legislation.
Where do they mate?
All sea turtles mate at sea, leatherback males start arriving in tropical waters up to a month before nesting begins and leave in mid-season to return to colder regions.
Where do the babies go?
The juvenile years of a sea turtle are often referred to as the “lost years” because so little is understood about this critical phase of life. Studies to date suggest that many swim directly to the Sargasso Sea or other areas of convergent currents where they can hide amongst the seaweed and other flotsam while developing the strength and size to venture further afield. Most young turtles seem to eat anything at first and their diet becomes more specialized when they return to the habitat that they will inhabit for the rest of their life e.g. reefs for hawksbills and seagrass beds for greens. Juvenile leatherbacks are very rarely reported in nearshore waters. Back to SOS Education page
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