Disclaimer: all marine turtle work performed is permitted through Marine Turtle Permits #032A and #202. 

2021 Marine Turtle Report

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. 

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.