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Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle Nest


A Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, a species rarely found on Florida's beaches, nested on Sanibel on Friday, April 22. The turtle nested a full eight days before the official start of sea turtle nesting season, which is May 1, and she nested during the day. Sea turtles usually nest at night.

Unfortunately, when nest was dug on Thursday, June 30, none of the eggs had hatched. Nests are dug 70 days after they are laid to get a count of the empty eggs and to rescue any hatchlings that didn’t make it out of the nest. None of the Kemp's Ridley eggs hatched or showed any signs of embryo development. SCCF's Amanda Bryant talked with the biologists at FWC (Florida Fish & Widllife Conservation Commission) and it appears likely that the eggs were never fertilized. Most of the adult male Kemp’s Ridleys would be off of the coasts of Texas and Mexico rather than off of the Florida coast, so they were unavailable for mating.

About the nesting

At approximately 11 a.m. on Friday, April 22, a Kemp’s Ridley (lepidochelys kempii) came ashore and began to nest. Ray Albright, Jr., came across the turtle just after she came ashore and notified SCCF. He stayed nearby until SCCF Biologist and Sea Turtle Coordinator, Amanda Bryant, could arrive to stake the nest.

Kemp’s Ridleys are the smallest and rarest sea turtle in the world. They weigh approximately 100 lbs and are 2-2 ½ ft long at maturity. They nest from April-July and it is common for them to nest several times during that period. If you come across a sea turtle nesting on the beach, please notify SCCF immediately by calling (239) 472-2329 during business hours or (239) 470-3360 on evenings or weekends.
 
The species is found in Southwest Florida waters, but they rarely nest here. The last Kemp’s Ridley nest recorded on Sanibel was in 1996. The bulk of Kemp’s Ridley nesting occurs at Rancho Nuevo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, with additional nesting at Padre Island, Texas. There were only eight Kemp’s Ridley nests in Florida in 2010.

Photo top right:  The Kemps finishing her nest.  Right and below:  Heading back to the water.  Below right:  The crawl, looking toward the nest.
NOTE:  All photos were taken from 100 feet away.





























Updated 7/1/11