Sea Turtles on the Beach

Natural Resources Management

Sea Turtle Nesting Season Starts May 1!

Sea Turtle Nesting Season runs May through October, peaking in July and August. But sea turtles are already present in our local waterways; you may find them near our snorkel reefs and fishing piers as well as throughout Pensacola Bay and Santa Rosa Sound.

2020 Nesting Season Stats

Coming soon!

Nests

Perdido Key

Pensacola Beach

Loggerhead

Green

Kemp's Ridley

Leatherback

Total

Disclaimer: all marine turtle work performed is permitted through FWC Permit #032A

2019 Marine Turtle Report
2019 Escambia County Marine Turtle Nest Monitoring Report

Species Profiles
Learn more about the four species of sea turtle that nest on Escambia County beaches.

Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta carretta)

Loggerheads are one of the larger marine turtles: adults can be up to 4 feet long and 350 lbs.
They get their name from their powerful jaws, which they use to crack open the shells of their favorite prey: lobsters, crabs, snails and other hard-bodied animals.
Loggerheads are the most common species on Escambia County beaches; accounting for over 90% of our nests.

Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)

Greens are also one of the larger marine turtles: adults can be up to 4 feet long and 350 lbs.
Greens are the only turtle that are strict vegetarians as adults; their diet is entirely made of seagrasses and algae. All that plant matter turns their fat green, which is where they get their name!
Greens are the second most common visitor to our beaches, with a few nests each year. Like most turtles, they can be found in tropical and subtropical waters world-wide.

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)

Kemp's Ridleys are the smallest sea turtles: adults average just 2 feet long and 150 lbs
Kemp's are also the rarest sea turtles in the world: they're only found in the Gulf Coast states, Mexico and portions of South America. Escambia County has seen Kemp's Ridley nests in both the 2018 and 2019 season.
Kemp's are the only day-time nester. They've also been recorded nesting in large groups all at once, called arribadas. While scientists aren't exactly sure why, it's thought larger numbers provide protection from predators.

Kemp's Ridley sea turtle on Pensacola beach

Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

Leatherbacks are the largest living sea turtle: adults average 6 feet long and up to 1000 lbs!
Leatherbacks also lack a hard shell. Like their name suggests their "shell" is a flexible, leathery membrane.
They're favorite prey is jellyfish and other soft-bodied organisms. Their mouths are lined with backwards-facing spikes to help hold onto soft, slippery prey.

Sea Turtle Fact

The temperature of the sand where the turtles nest determine the sex of the turtle: below 85 degrees the turtles are mostly male and above 85 degrees the turtles are mostly female.