Turtle Data

Turtles have lungs and must come to the surface to breathe every thirty minutes, when they are asleep their bodies do not need as much oxygen and they are therefore able to spend the entire night underwater. Turtles are known to migrate over long distances; a Leatherback turtle tagged in French Guiana in South America was recovered in Ghana some 3,800 miles away. Marine turtles are believed to reach sexual maturity at thirty years and live to be over eighty years old. Adult females are believed to return to the beach on which they hatched to lay their eggs. Sea turtles prefer quiet, dark, undisturbed places where they will be less vulnerable to predators. Between 80 and 120 eggs are laid in each nest. The eggs are white and about the same size and shape as a table tennis ball. A single female may nest up to five times in a season. The temperature of the nest during incubation determines the sex of the hatchings. When they hatch the young turtles make their way straight to sea and swim constantly for up to two days. This is known as the "juvenile frenzy" and allows the hatchings to escape the predator rich inshore waters. Every 1,000 eggs laid are believed to yield only one mature adult sea turtle. If you wish to see turtles visiting the South Western and South Eastern beaches, do so in the night from a distance with the aid of binoculars. Nesting turtles should not be disturbed and light disturbances should be minimal.

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