Baby turtle hatchlings on Florida's east coast make their way to Atlantic
JUNO BEACH, Fla. - It's that time of year when Floridians will be seeing more sea turtle tracks – and more sea turtle hatchlings.
A group of leatherback sea turtles was spotted hatching over in Juno Beach. The Loggerhead Marinelife Center counted more than 4,400 sea turtle nests across beaches in that area this year. Juno Beach is located just north of West Palm Beach on the state's east coast.
Video captured by Florida Adventure Hunters shows the pile of baby turtles crawling out of the sand venturing into the water.
The sighting is also a reminder to those who are new to the Sunshine State or are visiting to never touch the turtles or their nests.
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According to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Florida supports more than 90% of all loggerhead sea turtle nesting in North America. The state of Florida is one of two primary nesting locations for the loggerhead sea turtle in the entire world.
Loggerhead hatchlings (FWC photo by Tonya Long)
Clearwater Marine Aquarium is urging people to do their part to help protect the species by removing all obstacles off the beach at the end of the day, filling in all sandcastle holes and reducing your lighting at night to help not confuse baby sea turtles that may go in the wrong direction.
When it comes to beachfront lighting, it’s important to make sure those lights don’t attract baby turtles away from the sea. FWC says there are three "golden rules" when it comes to the lighting:
- Keep it low: Fixtures must be mounted as low as possible and still be appropriate for the needed purpose. Bulbs must produce the lowest wattage/lumens necessary for the needed purpose.
- Keep it long: Lamp/bulb must produce only long-wavelength light (560 nm or greater, which is amber, orange, or red).
- Keep it shielded: Fixture must be completely downward-directed. The fixture must be able to shield the bulb, lamp, or glowing lens from the beach.
READ: For leatherback sea turtles, reporting entanglements is key to survival
State wildlife officials say the sea turtle nesting season falls between the beginning of March and the end of October.
It takes everyone doing their part to keep these hatchlings safe. No matter how cute they might be, if you see a hatchling on the beach, Fernandez advised not to touch the turtle but to instead call *FWC or #FWC, or send a text to Tip@MyFWC.com.
In Florida, all five of its sea turtle species are either endangered or threatened, meaning it's illegal to harm, harass or kill any sea turtles, their eggs, or their hatchlings.
The Endangered Species Act lists the green, leatherback, hawksbill, and Kemp’s ridley turtle as endangered. The loggerhead turtle is listed as a threatened species.
Learn more about sea turtles in Florida by visiting FWC’s website.