Our Sea Turtle Hatchlings Have Arrived!

November 9, 2018

Roughly sixty days after our female Hawksbill Sea Turtle laid its eggs on our island we have hatchlings everywhere!!  Our hatchlings made their way to the surface of the sand and headed out to sea, and are now dodging every predator imaginable.  Our hatchlings now face a perilous journey to adulthood!

 

Hawksbill hatchlings can’t dive very deep, so they are often found floating in masses of sea plants and algal mats where they find shelter.  By the time they reach 14 inches (35 centimeters) in length, Hawksbills tend to move onto reef habitats. They are believed to begin breeding at about 25 to 35 years of age.

Hawksbill turtles are solitary for most of their lives; they meet only to mate. Every two to three years, females return to nest on the very same beaches where they themselves hatched, referred to as natal beaches.  We look forward to welcoming them back to our island decades from now!!

Safe journey my friends, we will meet again!