Sea Turtles On Sanibel & Captiva Island

Sanibel Island is an incredible place to experience nature. There is a huge commitment to conservation and the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) is the largest, private landowner on the island. They manage over 1200 acres of conserved land. There are numerous nature trails to explore and a huge wildlife refuge. The J.N “Ding” Darling Wildlife Refuge is 6,400 Acres of preserved and undeveloped mangrove ecosystem land. It is a celebration of nature at its finest. Among the fascinating animals and birds to observe is the amazing Sea Turtle. Track Junonia the Sanibel Sea Turtle!

In unexpected news we had a random and super cool Sea Turtle experience early on the morning of Thursday, July 1 at the Westwind Island Resort! Turtle discovery!!!! Check out the video below – it was amazing!!!!

Appreciating Endangered Sea Turtles

Sea Turtles on Sanibel & Captiva Island are some of the oldest creatures on the planet. They have been around for approximately 110 million years! Sadly, they are an endangered species and are protected both federally and state to state. There are 7 species of Sea Turtle, Sanibel and Captiva Island is home to 5 of them: Green turtle, Loggerhead, Kemp’s Ridley, Leatherback, and Hawksbill. With the most common type being Loggerheads. They nest between March and October and lay approximately 100 eggs each year. For every 10,000 turtles hatched only around 1,000 will survive. Though turtles have natural predators, many of the survival challenges they face are man-made. Boat strikes are common, commercial fishing lines are also life-threatening as is trash. Turtles often mistake plastic for jellyfish and on ingestion either choke or, fill themselves up with debris to the point they cannot eat real food. They ultimately, starve to death. Turtles also need dark beaches to nest. Artificial light sources from a variety of sources create confusion for turtles and rather than heading to the sea, they head inland which for them is fatal.

Fun Facts

– Turtles love to eat jellyfish.

– Turtles can hold their breath for up to 5 hours underwater.

– Turtles live to approximately 100 years old.

– Turtles have an excellent sense of direction and can detect the earth’s magnetic field.

– Sea Turtles cannot retract into their shell to protect themselves from predators.

How To Support Sanibel Sea Turtles On Sanibel & Captiva Island

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) is diligently working every day to save turtles from extinction. In fact, they even have a Sea Turtle sighting app that encourages members of the public to report turtle sightings so they can better understand seasonal habitat shifts and areas where the turtles tend to nest so they can protect them. SCCF also has many volunteer programs.

Lights Out For Sea Turtles!
April 10 – October 31 are the peak times for sea turtles to lay their eggs. Sea turtle hatchlings emerge after dark using the light of the night sky to guide them to the sea. Artificial light causes them to crawl away from the water towards other light sources. To help them avoid this close your blinds and curtains after 9pm, remove beach furniture after 9pm, turn off all lights visible from the beach, no flash photography or cell phone lights after dark and avoid using flashlights, never shine them on a nesting turtle or hatchlings.

Adopt A Sea Turtle
For $75 you can adopt a Sea Turtle and play an instrumental role in the conservation and research activities of SCCF’s Sea Turtle Program.

SCCF
333 Sanibel-Captiva Road
Sanibel, FL 33957
239-472-2329
www.sccf.org