Loggerhead Launching

A Loggerhead hatchling heads out to sea on the first day of a life long adventure beginning on the beaches of Amelia Island, Florida. Florida is the largest nesting area in the Western Hemisphere for Loggerhead Turtles. The only other large nesting area is in the Middle East on an island there.

My job is to watch for turtle nest laying starting in May and to monitor the hatching success of the nests throughout the turtle season which can extend into October.

This was a hatchling recovered from an already hatched nest as I excavated to evaluate the egg and hatching statics. This is done 3 days after the initial emergence of the hatchlings.

This little guy will face incredible odds as he strives to achieve adulthood. It is believed only one in a hundred survive.