A Leatherback Sea Turtle Nested on Vanderbilt Beach

Mary Toro, Environmental Supervisor for the Collier County Sea Turtle Monitoring Program, confirmed that a Leatherback sea turtle came ashore on Vanderbilt Beach on Friday, April 25th, and nested! It was one of the three sea turtles that nested on that beach last week. According to the Conservancy of SW Florida, the first leatherback nest recorded in Collier County was on Keewaydin in 2015.

Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are huge, weighing as much as 2,000 pounds, and a mature leatherback can reach up to 10 feet in length, according to sea turtle experts. They look so different from the loggerhead sea turtle, and rather than a shell covered with scales, it is covered with a leathery skin that has seven ridges running lengthwise down their backs. They are usually black with white, pink, and blue splotches, have no claws or flippers, and are considered the largest sea turtle species in the world.

According to FWC, the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is the most common sea turtle found in Florida, and our Florida beaches host around 90% of all loggerhead nests in the Southeast United States. It is named for its massive, block-like head. The adults can weigh between 200 and 350 pounds and can reach three feet in length. 

Marco Island is still waiting for its first sea turtle to emerge from the ocean. For anyone encountering their first leatherback sighting is a memory for a lifetime. And once on the beach, sea turtles face a myriad of threats – beach chairs, umbrellas, deep holes, trash, bright lights, and humans. 

To report someone disturbing sea turtle nests or encountering an injured, dead, or harassed sea turtle, call Wildlife Alert 888-404-FWCC (3922) or report it online. For cell phone users, call *FWC or #FWC, or send a text to Tip@MyFWC.com.