After we finished seeing the Green Sea Turtle, there was another lady checking on a nest a ways North of us. She was monitoring Loggerhead Sea Turtles.
I didn't get many pictures of this little one being it was getting dark and we couldn't use our flash. So I have 1 good one and 1 ok one.
By the time we watched the first turtle head out to sea, we hustled down to this nest and as we got there, she was letting it make its way to the water. There were quite a few eggs as well, I remember her saying there were 4 dead ones and that she would be going back out the next night to check the nest again. We were for sure going to try and make that, but we decided to stay home.
It was pretty much the same process with this baby turtle. We cleared its path and watched it build up its strength as it made its way closer to the water.
I actually didn't get to see this one enter the water cause T man was soaking wet and was starting to fuss. So Kathy and Jt stayed and watched as T and I walked back to the car. Kathy said that it was so dark and hard to see that the lady ended up carrying this baby out and letting it go. She was up to her waist in the water and made sure it made it pasted the waves.
That next morning the boys were still talking about it and were so disappointed that we weren't going out to see them again.
As you can see there is a difference in the shell shape. This one is smaller, the front paddles aren't as long as the Green Turtle and see the little red notches along the middle of the shell. That the distinct characteristic of a Loggerhead.
Some Fun Facts:
- The average size of a Loggerhead is 35 inch when fully grown. some have been 110 inch and 3,000 lbs
- The adult weighs around 300lbs
- As adults the males have thicker tails than the females and that's the same for reptiles. So these turtles are a marine reptile
- Females lay eggs every 2 to 3 years and have 4 nests in one area
- Sexual maturity within 17-33 years
- life span 47-67 years
- They are endangered
This was by far the coolest thing other than swimming with dolphins this year!
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