Alabama is home to five of the six marine turtles documented in continental U.S. waters. There are seven global species of sea turtles, but the ones that we have here include and of seven total global species, including Loggerhead, Green, Leatherback, Kemp’s Ridley, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, and Flatback.
The five sea turtles that can be found on the Alabama coast are Loggerhead, Green, Leatherback, Kemp’s Ridley, and Hawksbill. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), all sea turtles found in the U.S. are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act.
Green Sea Turtle
The Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is considered the largest of the Family Cheloniidae, or “hard-shelled” sea turtles, and typical adults can weigh up to 500 pounds and be three to four feet long. Their top shells are generally olive-brown in color and they have yellowish-white bellies.
Unlike other sea turtle species, Green sea turtles are mostly herbivores and depend on seagrasses and algae for the bulk of their diet. They will also eat sponges, invertebrates, and fish.
Green sea turtles are well-traveled and inhabit subtropical and temperate waters throughout the world. In fact, they have nesting grounds in over 80 countries! Their nesting season on the Alabama and Florida coast is typically June through September. Females, however, don’t lay each season, and instead nest in two, three, or four-year intervals. Hatchlings swim offshore to live in the open ocean (pelagic habitat) until they migrate as juveniles to find feeding grounds closer to shore, where as adults they find their way back home to where they hatched to start reproducing.
Green turtles can live to be over 70 years old!
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Hawksbills (Eretmochelys imbricata) are on the smaller end of sea turtles, growing between two to three feet long and typically weighing up to 150 pounds as adults. They are well known for their beautiful amber, red, and yellow shells, which are often referred to as “tortoise shell.” Unfortunately, Hawksbills are illegally hunted for these unique shells by people who make jewelry or other keepsakes.
Hawksbills get their name from their unique “beak-like mouth,” which they mainly use to feast on sponges that are wedged in hard-to-reach areas.
Like Green turtles, Hawksbills are well-traveled and can be found in many global tropical and sub-tropical ocean waters. Some populations (DPS, or distinct population segments) of Hawksbills migrate over 1,100 miles from their feeding to nesting grounds. Their main nesting season is June through August, but Hawksbill sightings in Alabama are rare, because they prefer tropical habitats over Alabama shores.
Hawksbills can live up to 60 years!
Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle
Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempi) is the smallest of the sea turtles, growing between 23 and 28 inches in carapace (top of the hard shell) length and weighing up to 88 pounds. Their shells are grey to grey-green, and their plastron (underbelly) is white to white yellow.
Kemp’s ridley’s are well suited to the Gulf of Mexico, but are also found in other parts of the Atlantic Ocean. Their main nesting areas are in Mexico and Texas, but nests are occasionally documented in Alabama. During their April through June nesting season, they exhibit a nesting behavior known as an “arribada,” in which large numbers of females arrive at a small nesting area on the same day. This method may be a protective measure against predators – there’s power in numbers!
The estimated life span of Kemp’s ridley sea turtles is 30 years!
Leatherback Sea Turtle
Leatherbacks (Dermochelys coriacea) are the largest of the sea turtles, growing up to 2,200 pounds and five and a half feet in shell length. Leatherbacks, the only living member of the Family Dermochelyidae (Greek words derm meaning “skin” and chelys meaning “tortoise”) are the only turtle species that does not have a hard shell and is instead covered with skin.
Leatherbacks are highly migratory, with some traveling up to 10,000 in a single year. They are adapted to living in tropical and temperate open oceans of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, where they travel between feeding and nesting sites. Their nesting season is March through July, following which they migrate north to find foraging areas.
Leatherbacks have a unique adaptation, a countercurrent exchanger, that allows them to survive in extremely cold temperatures. This adaptation helps keep the turtle’s body temperature up when its surroundings are freezing!
Leatherbacks are estimated to live up to 50 years!
Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Loggerheads (Caretta caretta) are known for their large heads and powerful jaws and are identified by brown to reddish-brown carapace, and yellow to brown plastron. They are large with “massive,” usually yellow, jaws and muscular tails. Their jaws allow them to feed on hard-shelled animals such as conch.
Loggerheads are the most abundant sea turtle in the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts in the U.S., where much of their nesting is between Fort Morgan and Gulf Shores. Loggerheads can be found worldwide in subtropical and temperate areas.
Females nest one to seven times per season, nesting every other or every third year. In Alabama, nesting season peaks in May through August and sometimes ranging from April through September.
Common Threats
The fishing industry is one of the greatest threats to sea turtles. They are often trapped in shrimping nets as bycatch or are injured by marine debris, such as plastics and other trash, and fishing equipment. However, thanks to innovations such as turtle excluder devices, sea turtles are now less likely to fall victim to trawl nets.
Other significant threats include destruction and loss of habitat and climate change. Coastal erosion is a major contributing factor to habitat degradation. Some sea turtle populations have been depleted because of human interest in their eggs and meat.
Conservation and Protection Efforts
All turtle species in the United States are protected by the Endangered Species Act, which is enforced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (U.S. FWS). NOAA has primary jurisdiction in the marine environment, whereas the U.S. FWS leads efforts in protecting nesting areas.
Internationally, sea turtles are protected by several agreements between NOAA and other nations, including the Inter-American Convention for the Protection and Conservation of Sea Turtles, the Indian Ocean Southeast Asian Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ Guidelines to Reduce Sea Turtle Mortality in Fishing Operations.
Additionally, the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) “forbids the trade of any turtle products on the international market.” Despite these efforts, however, illegal hunting of sea turtles for meat, shells, and eggs is still prevalent in parts of the world.
There are many fantastic groups dedicated to sea turtle protection, conservation, and public education on the Alabama and Florida coasts. Here are a few of those amazing organizations. The Alabama Coastal Foundation’s Share the Beach Initiative recruits volunteers to help mitigate the effects of pollution (especially light pollution) on sea turtles, monitor nests and hatchlings during nesting season (May through October), and promote conservation.
The Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center is a grassroots public involvement organization with the goal of “giving sea turtles more tomorrows through conservation, education, and research.” The Center hosts “Trash Bash” beach clean-ups, nesting updates, and a variety of educational programming.
What can you do to save the sea turtles?
You can encourage beachfront property owners to be mindful of the lights they use. Bright, white light can disorient sea turtle hatchlings trying to find their way to the ocean. Use turtle-friendly flashlights or light filters on your nighttime beach walk. Learn more about the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s Beachfront Lighting Program.
You can also swap balloon releases with planting flowers or seedlings in celebration or remembrance. Balloons can resemble jellyfish, which turtles like to munch on, and can cause illness or death.
Respect wildlife! Don’t disturb sea turtle nests and other critical habitats. Observe from afar and leave no trace on the beach.
Do you have photos or videos of sea turtles? If so, share them with us using the AWW Photo/Video Submission form.