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Leatherback Sea Turtle Nest



Leatherback hatchling from Nest #4, which hatched on August 2, 2009.  Four live hatchlings, including the one pictured, were found in the nest when it was dug on August 3.  This is the first known documented leatherback nest in Lee and Collier Counties.  Leatherbacks nest along the Florida panhandle; one leatherback nest was documented in Sarasota, but leatherbacks very rarely nest in Southwest Florida.


On the morning of June 3, 2009, an unusual crawl was found by walker Linda Gornick (see below).  Linda notified permittee Tom Krekel, who quickly realized that it was not a loggerhead crawl.  Since leatherback sea turtles rarely nest in Southwest Florida, it was determined that it was likely a green sea turtle nest.  Aside from having the typical parallel flipper marks of greens and leatherbacks, the crawl itself was wider than a loggerhead’s crawl. Another telltale sign was the huge body pit and large mound of sand camouflaging the nest area (see below).  Because  the crawl and nest were so large, there was the possibility that it was a leatherback.  Almost all of the sea turtle nests on Sanibel and Captiva are loggerheads but there are generally a few green nests each season,

Photos of both the nest and crawl were provided to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and confirmation was received that it was probably a green.

On the night of August 2, the nest hatched.  Hatched nests are normally dug after  three days but because the nest was in immediate danger of predation, it was dug on the morning of August 3 (a ghost crab was already digging in the nest when Sea Turtle Coordinator Amanda Bryant arrived).  When Bryant dug the nest, there were four live hatchlings still inside -- and they were leatherbacks!  There were 90 empty eggshells, so 90 leatherbacks presumably made it into the water during the nighttime hatch.



Above left:  Amanda Bryant with leatherback hatchling.  Center:  The nest cavity for a loggerhead is about 18" deep; this nest was 29.5" deep.  Right:  SCCF Herpetologist Chris Lechowicz with Amanda Bryant and empty eggshells (the live hatchlings are in the covered bucket).  The four live hatchlings recovered from the nest were released on the night of August 3.


Tracks of the 90 hatchlings that crawled out of the nest on August 2.  The nest is in the background.


green nest
Above:  The body pit and the crawl on June 3.  June 3 photos courtesy Tom Krekel.