Sea Turtles

 

Florida boasts some of the most important nesting beaches for loggerhead sea turtles in the world.  Our beaches also offer important nesting habitat for green and leatherback sea turtles, as well as the occasional Kemp's ridley and hawksbill turtle.  Florida's waters provide important development habitat for many species of sea turtles in a variety of life stages.
 

All species of sea turtles in the world are either threatened or endangered.  Sea turtles face many threats today that were not threats hundreds of years ago. Examples of these include:
 

  • Collisions with boats
  • Sky glow from artificial lighting
  • Interactions with commercial and recreational fishing gear
  • Loss of nesting habitat
  • Pollution

A loggerhead turtle retuns to the beach after nesting just before sunrise.


Please visit Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, or continue to explore our website, to learn more about these threats and what you can do to help.

The Boca Raton Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program works under permits from, and in coordination with, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).

 

 

 

 


If you find a dead, sick, or injured sea turtle, please call FWC's 24-hour Wildlife Alert Number
at 1-888-404-FWCC (1-888-404-3922).

Please be prepared to answer the following questions:

  1. What is the exact location of the animal?
  2. Is the turtle alive or dead?
  3. What is the approximate size of the turtle?
  4. Is the turtle marked with spray paint? (This may indicate that the turtle has been previously documented.)
  5. What is the location of the closest access point to the turtle?