Baby Turtles: Ocean Release Or Rehab?

can you put baby turtles in the ocean

Baby sea turtles, known as hatchlings, face a challenging journey from their nest to the ocean. They must navigate obstacles such as footprints, driftwood, and crabs, while also evading predators like birds, raccoons, and fish. The female sea turtle leaves her nest after laying eggs, leaving them to develop and hatch on their own. Once the hatchlings emerge, they use cues such as the slope of the beach, wave patterns, and the ocean's natural light horizon to find their way to the water. This journey is crucial for their survival, with only about 1 in 1000 hatchlings reaching adulthood under natural conditions.

Characteristics Values
Chances of survival 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 10,000
First migration Swim towards the open ocean and away from the shore
Navigation Use the Earth's magnetic field, sun, moon, stars, slope of the beach, and wave direction
First few years Spend their first few years in the ocean before returning to coastal areas
Predators Tiger sharks, killer whales, fishes, dogs, seabirds, raccoons, crabs, and ants

petshun

Baby turtles' first migration

Baby sea turtles, known as "hatchlings", face many challenges as soon as they emerge from their underground nests. They must crawl across the beach, avoiding obstacles such as footprints, driftwood, and crabs, to reach the ocean. The first few hours of a sea turtle's life are critical for its survival.

The first part of the hatchling migration is called the 'frenzy period', which involves almost continuous swimming for the first 24-36 hours. During this time, they swim several miles offshore, where they are caught in currents and seaweed that may carry them for years before they return to nearshore waters. This long journey is essential to reduce the time spent in shallow waters, where they are vulnerable to predators like birds, crabs, and raccoons.

Once in the open sea, baby sea turtles use various navigational methods to guide them. Studies have shown that moonlight reflected on the water helps guide them towards the ocean. Additionally, loggerhead and green turtles can detect the orbital movement of waves, allowing them to swim perpendicular to the shore. As they move further offshore, sea turtles use the Earth's magnetic field to maintain their direction and head towards the open sea.

The exact migratory routes of baby sea turtles are still a mystery to scientists. However, special satellite tags have been used to track some turtles, revealing that they traverse long distances, float in seaweed beds, and stay near the ocean surface. For example, baby loggerhead sea turtles have been found to ride the North Atlantic Gyre, while others enter the Sargasso Sea.

The first migration of baby sea turtles is a crucial period in their lives, helping them move away from predators and find food sources. This journey sets the foundation for their survival and growth into adulthood.

petshun

How baby turtles find the ocean

Newly hatched baby sea turtles (known as "hatchlings") face a daunting journey as soon as they emerge from their underground nests. They must scramble towards the sea and navigate thousands of miles across the open ocean. The first few hours of a sea turtle's life are critical for its survival, as it must avoid various obstacles and predators such as birds, crabs, raccoons, dogs, and fish.

So, how do baby turtles find the ocean? Studies suggest that they are guided by slight differences in the Earth's magnetic field, which helps them stay within a warm ocean current known as the Atlantic Gyre. This is because the turtles would face colder waters and certain death if they swam outside of it. Additionally, once they emerge from their nests, they use visual cues to find the water, such as the slope of the beach, the white crests of the waves, and the natural light of the ocean horizon.

The light from the horizon, usually over the ocean, along with the wave crests, guides them towards the water. However, artificial light sources such as street lights or beachfront lighting can disorient hatchlings and lead them in the wrong direction. Therefore, it is crucial to minimize these light sources near nesting beaches to protect the turtles.

Once the baby turtles reach the ocean, they begin a swimming frenzy to escape the dangerous nearshore waters with high predation rates. Their lost years then commence, during which their whereabouts remain unknown for up to a decade. It is only when they reach approximately the size of a dinner plate that these juvenile turtles return to coastal areas to continue their growth and maturation.

petshun

Predators and dangers

Even before they hatch, sea turtles face a multitude of risks from natural predators. Nests are often raided by mammals such as raccoons, foxes, and boars; several species of crabs; ants; and countless forms of microbes, insects, and mites.

Hatchling turtles are extremely vulnerable as they cross the beach to the sea. Birds, crabs, dogs, and raccoons are just some of the predators these tiny creatures face on land. Once they reach the water, they are at risk of being eaten by large bony fish, sharks, and sea birds.

Even when they reach deeper waters, the dangers do not disappear. In these habitats, turtles are still at risk of being consumed by large bony fish and sharks.

Adult sea turtles are relatively immune to predators, but they are still occasionally attacked by sharks, killer whales, and crocodiles. In Central and South America, American crocodiles and jaguars are a threat to nesting females, and in the Indo-Pacific, saltwater crocodiles prey on adult turtles on nesting beaches and in inshore waters.

Human activity also poses a significant threat to sea turtles. The illegal trade of turtle meat, eggs, skin, and shells, as well as accidental capture in fisheries, has contributed to the decline of sea turtle populations. Additionally, marine pollution, climate change, and habitat loss further endanger sea turtles and their habitats.

petshun

Human interference

Loss of Nesting Habitat:

The loss and disturbance of nesting beaches due to coastal development, beach armouring, and beach nourishment are significant threats to sea turtles. They are highly particular about their nesting sites, and even the loss of a single beach can have severe consequences. Beach armouring, such as the construction of sea walls and jetties, may protect properties from erosion but results in environmental damage and the loss of dry nesting beaches. Beach nourishment, or adding sand to eroded beaches, can also disturb nesting activity and make it difficult for turtles to dig proper nests.

Artificial Lighting:

Artificial lighting from buildings, streetlights, and beachfront properties can disorient baby turtles as they hatch, causing them to move inland instead of towards the ocean. It also discourages nesting activity in female turtles, who may avoid brightly lit areas. This human-made coastal lighting endangers the survival of both adult and baby turtles.

Consumption and Trade:

In many coastal communities, especially in Central America and Asia, sea turtles are consumed for food, and their eggs are considered a delicacy. During the nesting season, hunters kill female turtles and take their eggs, meat, oil, cartilage, skin, and shells. The illegal trade in sea turtle shells, particularly the hawksbill sea turtle, for jewelry and luxury items, has led to a critical endangerment of the species. Despite laws prohibiting the trade in sea turtle products, enforcement is often lacking, and the eggs and other products are still sold in local markets.

Commercial Fishing:

Commercial fishing operations, such as shrimp trawlers and gill nets, accidentally capture, injure, and kill hundreds of thousands of sea turtles every year. Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) have been developed to eject turtles from shrimp trawl nets, but not all fishermen comply with the law, and many turtles continue to drown. Longlines and gill nets also pose significant threats, with an estimated 150,000 turtles of all species drowned in gill nets annually.

Marine Debris and Pollution:

Human-generated marine debris, particularly plastic, is a severe threat to sea turtles. They mistake plastic for food, leading to ingestion and obstruction of their stomachs, often resulting in death. Additionally, marine pollution from oil spills, urban runoff, and fertilizers contaminate the water and kill aquatic plants and animals that sea turtles rely on for food. Climate change, with rising temperatures and sea levels, also poses a significant threat to their nesting beaches and habitats.

petshun

Baby turtles' survival rate

Baby sea turtles, known as "hatchlings", face a treacherous journey from their nest to the ocean. They are vulnerable to a range of predators, including birds, crabs, raccoons, dogs, and fish. They also face challenges such as dehydration, disorientation from artificial lighting, and ingestion of plastic and other debris. It is estimated that only one in a thousand hatchlings survive to adulthood under natural conditions.

The first few hours of a sea turtle's life are critical. After hatching, the baby turtles crawl towards the ocean and swim out to sea. This journey is dangerous, as they face many obstacles and predators. The moon and stars reflect on the water, helping them to find their way. However, artificial lighting can disorient them, leading them away from the water and towards danger.

Once in the ocean, the lost years of a sea turtle's life begin. This period, which can last up to a decade, is a mystery to scientists, as they don't have concrete evidence of what happens to the baby turtles. To better understand this phase, researchers have developed methods to tag and track baby turtles via satellite. These studies have revealed that baby turtles traverse long distances, float in seaweed beds, and stay near the ocean surface, likely to conserve energy and maintain their body temperature.

The survival rate of baby turtles is estimated to be around one in a thousand. This means that out of the approximately 100 eggs laid by a mature adult female, only one hatchling is expected to reach adulthood. Some scientists even estimate that the survival rate could be as low as one in 10,000. The low survival rate is attributed to the many threats hatchlings face during their journey to the ocean and in their early years at sea.

To improve the survival rate of baby turtles, conservation efforts are crucial. This includes protecting nesting beaches, reducing artificial lighting near beaches, and minimizing plastic pollution in the ocean. By addressing these issues, we can help increase the chances of survival for these vulnerable creatures.

Frequently asked questions

No, baby turtles should not be put in the ocean by humans. They need to make their way to the water themselves as this is important for their survival.

Baby turtles, or hatchlings, use cues to find the ocean, including the slope of the beach, the white crests of the waves, and the natural light of the ocean horizon.

Once in the ocean, baby turtles begin a "swimming frenzy" to escape the dangerous nearshore waters. This can last for several days and varies in intensity and duration between species.

Baby turtles eat a variety of prey, including molluscs, crustaceans, hydrozoans, sargassum seaweed, jellyfish, and fish eggs. Unfortunately, they also mistake garbage and objects like tar balls as food and ingest them.

Baby turtles face many threats, both on land and in the ocean. On land, they are vulnerable to birds, raccoons, crabs, ants, and dogs. Once they reach the ocean, they are threatened by seabirds, fish, and sharks. Human activities such as plastic pollution, bright lights, and beachside development also pose significant risks to their survival.

Written by
Reviewed by
Share this post
Print
Did this article help you?

Leave a comment