Titusville Sea Turtle Festival Sea Turtle Conservation Programs Loggerhead Green Leatherback Kemps Ridley

2015 is the 32nd year of the nest screening program at Canaveral National Seashore (CANA) and has included well over 30,000 volunteer hours. It is the only program of this scope in the entire National Park Service. The program would not be possible without volunteer help. Thank you all.

2015 Sea Turtle Nest Counts (10-29-15)

Loggerhead: Apollo ( 1441 ) ........Playalinda ( 2464 )
Green Turtle: Apollo ( 795 ) .........Playalinda ( 2776 )
Leatherback: Apollo ( 15 ) .........Playalinda ( 19 )
Kemps Ridley: Apollo ( 0 ) .......Playalinda ( 0 )
Total nest counts: 7,510

8/30/15: These are the sea turtle nest numbers for the six-mile stretch of beach located on the Kennedy Space Center security area
which is managed by Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge biologists.
Loggerhead: 1486
Green: 779
Leatherback: 11

Canaveral National Seashore Sea Turtle Nest Totals 1984-2014
Year	Loggerhead	Green	Leatherback	Kemp's Ridley	Unknown	Total
2014	3,322	405	20	0	0	3,747
2013	3,758	4,152	23	0	0	7,933
2012	5154	816	27	1	0	5998
2011	3742	1374	24	0	0	5140
2010	4250	1343	26	0	0	5619
2009	2729	301	26	0	0	3056
2008	3637	899	5	2	0	4543
2007	2356	1249	21	0	0	3627
2006	2470	396	1	1	0	2868
2005	2547	1040	13	0	0	3600
2004	2281	255	6	0	0	2542
2003	3229	74	16	1	0	3320
2002	3161	856	8	0	0	4025
2001	3257	7	10	0	0	3274
2000	3892	662	9	0	0	4563
1999	4501	5	9	0	0	4515
1998	3976	427	5	0	0	4408
1997	2702	21	4	0	0	2727
1996	3260	222	3	0	0	3485
1995	4121	47	1	0	0	4169
1994	3886	364	2	0	0	4252
1993	3140	28	0	0	0	3168
1992	3279	298	0	0	0	3577
1991	4074	25	1	0	0	4100
1990	3922	185	1	0	0	4108
1989	3091	41	1	0	0	3133
1988	2203	43	0	0	4	2250
1987	1670	90	1	0	15	1776
1986	3349	22	3	0	0	3374
1985	2389	94	0	0	25	2508
1984	*	*	*	*	*	2125

SEA TURTLE FACTS:

Unlike other turtles, sea turtles cannot retract their legs and head into their shells.

Turtles do not have teeth, but the jaws are shaped to provide crushing, biting or tearing surfaces appropriate for their diet.

Like all reptiles, sea turtles lack external ears and the eardrum is covered with skin.

Growth rates vary, but most sea turtle species mature slowly and all have a long life span.

Temperatures of the sand where the turtles nest determine the sex of the turtle: below 85 degrees Fahrenheit is predominately male; above 85 degrees Fahrenheit is predominately female.

Sea turtles also have a special adaptation process wherein they extract water from the food they intake and by metabolizing saltwater; as such they can survive in the ocean without the requirement of freshwater or a freshwater source.

In addition to solving the problems of swimming and breathing, sea turtles have also come up with an ingenious way to rid their bodies of the salts they accumulate from the saltwater in which they live. Just behind each eye is a salt gland. The salt glands help sea turtles to maintain a healthy water balance by shedding large "tears" of excess salt. If a sea turtle appears to be "crying" it is usually not cause for alarm, as the turtles are merely keeping their physiology in check.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Take all the items you brought to the beach with you when you go.

Do not leave litter on the beach which may disorient nesting females as they crawl out of the ocean.

Fill in any holes you may have dug on the beach which may trap nesting turtles and hatchlings.

If you see a turtle on the beach - do not touch or disturb the turtle.

Turn off all lights at night on the beach - it's the law.

Do not take flash photos of turtles.

Never throw trash into the water.

Volunteer for beach cleanups.

Participate in organized turtle watches.

Never buy products made from endangered species.

Say NO! to plastic. Use recyclable shopping bags and drinking bottles. The ocean is littered with 47,000 pieces of plastic per square mile.

Pick up discarded fishing line - it takes 600 years to bio-degrade.

Buy a Sea Turtle Specialty License Plate for your vehicle. Revenue from the sale of sea turtle license plates goes to support sea turtle research, conservation and education in Florida.

If you find an injured or dead turtle in Florida, call the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Law Enforcement at (1-888-404-FWCC).

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