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INTERESTING TURTLE FACTS
  • Turtles are reptiles and records show their existence during the days of the dinosaurs 200 million years ago.

  • Loggerhead turtles nest in the Carolinas but other sea turtles feed in our waters. They are called Loggerheads because they have the largest head of all sea turtles. They can lay up to 7 nests in one season and usually nest every two years.

  • Nesting season begins on Brunswick County Beaches in early May thru August. Baby turtles begin hatching in late July and continue through October.

  • Overdevelopment of beaches limits nesting sites for all sea turtles.

  • Mortality rates for turtle eggs are high due to predation by ghost crabs, raccoons, & foxes. Some nests are laid to close to the tide line and if not relocated will be lost.

  • High mortality rates for hatchlings, juveniles and adult turtles are commonly due to predation by sharks, birds, fish, fishing gear(long line), ingestion of marine debris, boat strikes, trash on beaches and pollution.

  • Only one hatchling in a thousand make it to adulthood (15-25 yrs) They can live to be over 100 yrs old.

  • Loggerheads use their powerful jaw to crush their food. They most often eat clams, jelly fish, squid, crustaceans such as crabs and spiny lobsters. Most of the nesting takes place in the evening or early morning from May through August. Darkness serves as added protection for nests as well as the hatchlings. Once a nest is laid it takes 55 to 90 days for the hatchlings to emerge.

  • Hatchlings emerge from their nests and are drawn to light (moonlight and phosphorescence from the ocean). Street lights, house, motel/ hotel lights may cause them to become victims of ghost crabs, sea gulls and the heat of the sun(if they emerge in daylight). Hatchlings swim to the gulf stream and eat the sargassum sea weed which they also use for shelter from predators. They also eat baby shrimp and jellyfish. Hatchlings will return to the same beach where they were born to nest if they make it to adulthood. Remember only 1 out of 1,000 survive to adulthood.

Jean Beasley and a host of volunteers released rescued turtles at Topsail Beach on 6/2/10.

This sea turtle was rescued by the Bradford family and brought to SSBTWP in September from the Calabash River with very deep propeller injuries. It was touch and go for a while and then he responded to treatment and healed great and was released in June. Yet another wonderful success story from people who care!

RESOURCES
ONE MILLION AGAINST BP OIL BURNING SEA TURTLES is on Facebook.

Please sign up for Facebook to connect with ONE MILLION AGAINST BP OIL BURNING SEA TURTLES.
The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center - The Sunset Beach Turtle Patrol donated over $3,000 to this center. Thanks to all that support this wonderful endeavor!!
Join The Great Turtle Race! Join The Great Turtle Race! In January and February, eleven leatherback turtles crawled up the beach at Playa Grande, Costa Rica. By starlight, each huge animal dug a nest in the sand with her back flippers and laid her eggs.

Leatherbacks have been doing this for 100 million years. but they may have only 10 years left -- 90 percent of the leatherbacks have vanished from the Pacific Ocean, victims of human pressures.

Outfitted with satellite tags, these eleven turtles are sprinting from Costa Rica to their feeding grounds near the Galapagos. Choose a turtle to cheer on in the 14-day race! Teachers, engage your students with Great Turtle Race lesson plans. Share this cause with friends. And donate, if you can. You can help with the bigger race - the race for leatherback survival.

Also, check out the Comedy Central video of The Great Turtle Race!

Seaturtle.org
Museum of Coastal Carolina
Ingram Planetarium

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
In the mythology of India the survival of the sea turtle insures the survival of the world. The Indian myth states that the earth rests on the back of three elephants. These elephants in turn stand on the shell of a giant sea turtle which swims in an infinite sea. It is believed that if the sea turtle disappears the world will end.

Interesting Things to See Near Sunset Beach:

New Sea Turtle Exhibit at Museum of Coastal Carolina
The Turtle Crawl, a new exhibit at the Museum of Coastal Carolina, opens on Friday afternoon, June 30. A media preview will be held from 11-Noon. Volunteers and members may preview the exhibit from noon-1:00 before it opens to the general public.
Designed by Warren Kimsey & Associates, the exhibit is a model of a sand dune with a mother loggerhead turtle laying a nest and also hatchlings emerging from a nest. Visitors may walk through the dune to view the nests from the interior or watch a video about the life cycle of loggerhead turtles. Funds for The Turtle Crawl exhibit were raised through the Around the World Winefest 2006.
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