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Sea Turtle Week

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Sea Turtle Week is June 8-16! Learn about all 7 species and the many threats they face.

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2 years ago

Green sea turtles are large marine reptiles, weighing up to 500 lbs and measuring up to 4 feet long.

They are unique among sea turtles as herbivores, feeding on seagrass and algae, which helps maintain healthy ecosystems.

Found in tropical and subtropical waters, they nest in over 80 countries. Conservation efforts aim to protect their habitats and raise awareness about the importance of reducing plastic waste and human impact.

Learn more about this fascinating species: https://www.seeturtles.org/green-sea-turtle

photo: Neil Ever Osborne by @seaturtleweek

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15 hours ago

Paper of the Week: What genetics can tell us about the illegal hawksbill turtle trade.

The critically endangered hawksbill turtle still faces severe pressure from the illegal tortoiseshell trade. Researchers studied the genetics of 107 hawksbill turtles connected to the illegal trade around Hainan Island, China. They found 25 genetic types, including nine that had never been documented before.

Their analysis suggests that most of the turtles in the Hainan trade came from the Philippines (58.5%) and East Malaysia (25.8%), pointing to the South China Sea–Sulu Sea region as a major source area.

The study also suggests there may be hawksbill nesting populations in the region that haven't been identified yet. The researchers say more genetic research and stronger international enforcement are needed to better understand and address the trade.

Read the study👇
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235198942600154X by @seaturtleweek

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3 days ago

Boat and vessel strikes are a big problem for sea turtles.

Scientists at the University of Miami are putting GPS trackers on loggerhead turtles in Biscayne Bay to see where they’re crossing paths with boats.

By tracking the turtles and boat traffic, researchers hope to figure out where and when turtles are most at risk of being hit.

The goal is to better understand the problem and find ways to help protect turtles in Biscayne Bay. 🐢🌊

Read more: University of Miami: Sea turtle tracking project 👇
https://news.miami.edu/rosenstiel/stories/2026/09/sea-turtle-tracking-project-to-identify-vessel-strike-risks-in-biscayne-bay.html

Photo: Sea turtle injured by a boat strike receives treatment in South Florida. © @ocean_bethany. by @seaturtleweek

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4 days ago

Fun Fact Friday: What’s an arribada?

An arribada is a mass nesting event where thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands, of female turtles come ashore to nest at the same time. The word comes from Spanish and means “arrival.” (Basically, a bunch of sea turtles coming to the beach at the same time to lay eggs).

Only two sea turtle species are known for arribadas: Kemp’s ridleys and olive ridleys.

And these gatherings can be HUGE. In Costa Rica, the two major arribada beaches, Nancite and Ostional, support an estimated 600,000 olive ridleys. At La Escobilla in Mexico, an estimated 450,000 females nest. Arribadas for olive ridleys also happen in other places, including 3 beaches in India.

Photo: Olive ridley sea turtles, © NOAA

#FunFactFriday by @seaturtleweek

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7 days ago

🐙 Happy World Octopus Day!

Did you know octopuses and sea turtles can share the same habitats? Several octopus species live in coral reefs, seagrass beds, and nearshore waters where sea turtles also forage and spend time.

Two very different animals, sharing the same underwater neighborhoods! And apparently, sometimes octopus hunt hatchlings. Check out this video: https://www.temanaotemoana.org/en/an-octopus-attack-on-an-hatchling-turtle-recorded-for-the-first-time/

Have you ever seen an octopus in the wild? Let us know!

#worldoctopusday🐙 by @seaturtleweek

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8 days ago

Fishing gear is a serious problem for sea turtles and other marine life.

Turtles, seabirds, dolphins, and other animals can get caught in fishing lines, nets, hooks, and traps when they aren’t the species being targeted. This is known as bycatch, and it’s one of the biggest threats to sea turtles worldwide.

Want to help? You can participate in local beach cleanups or even plan one as part of #SeaTurtleWeek. Learn more 👇
https://www.seaturtleweek.com/plan-a-beach-cleanup

Photo: NOAA

#SeaTurtles #Bycatch #OceanConservation #FishingGear #MarineConservation by @seaturtleweek

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9 days ago

🐢 Paper of the Week

What happens to sea turtle nesting beaches over time?

A new study looked at 40 years of satellite images to track changes in eight important sea turtle nesting beaches in northwest Costa Rica.

The researchers found that six of the eight beaches remained relatively stable, while two experienced ongoing erosion after 2008. Those erosion hotspots overlap with important nesting beaches for East Pacific leatherbacks.

The study also points out that beaches that have remained stable could become especially important for sea turtles as conditions change.

Read the paper 👇https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X26004280

Authors fron :
Centre Oceanografic de les Balears
@theleatherbacktrust
Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP) and the Spanish National Research Council by @seaturtleweek

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11 days ago

Hawksbills are critically endangered, and the continued sale of products made from their shells is making recovery even harder. These products are still sold in souvenir shops across Latin America and the Caribbean, and many travelers don’t realize they’re buying something made from an endangered animal, or that taking it across a border can be illegal.

But you can do something.

Learn how to recognize turtleshell so you can avoid it👇
https://www.seeturtles.org/how-to-recognize-turtleshell

You can report it if you do see it 👇
https://www.seeturtles.org/how-to-recognize-turtleshell

And you can take our pledge to avoid turtleshell 👇
https://www.seeturtles.org/pledge by @seaturtleweek

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15 days ago

The 10th Copernicus Ocean State Report was released yesterday, and the message is clear: our ocean is changing rapidly, and not for the better.

The report brings together more than 4 decades of data from satellites, buoys and ocean sensors, with contributions from 636 authors, 214 publications and 258 organizations across 37 countries.

Some of the key takeaways:

🌡️ The ocean is getting hotter
In 2024, the Mediterranean and Black seas had record-breaking periods of unusually warm water. Some lasted more than 30 days.

🌊 Sea levels can change dramatically during storms
A powerful storm caused water levels in part of the Baltic Sea to drop by 153 cm in just one event.

🏝️ Island communities are facing several changes at once
Rising seas, warmer oceans and stronger tropical storms are creating growing challenges for many island nations.

🧊 The Arctic is changing the ocean around it
The Barents Sea became much less salty between 2016 and 2022 as more freshwater entered the region and Arctic ice changed.

🦠 Even tiny ocean life is changing
About 5% of the global ocean has seen lasting changes in when phytoplankton, the tiny organisms at the base of the marine food web, appear each year.

Read the full report or summary here
https://marine.copernicus.eu/access-data/ocean-state-report/ocean-state-report-10👇 by @seaturtleweek

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15 days ago

Meet the green sea turtle!

So, where are green sea turtles found?

Green sea turtles live in tropical and subtropical waters around the world. They travel between feeding grounds and nesting beaches, sometimes crossing entire ocean basins.

Some of the world’s most important green turtle nesting beaches include Tortuguero, Costa Rica; Oman; Florida; and Raine Island, Australia, where thousands of turtles can come ashore during peak nesting season.

Green turtles also nest in places including French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Suriname, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

📷: @ocean_bethany taken in South Florida by @seaturtleweek

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16 days ago

🐢 Wow! Well, this is something we don’t see every day!

A female olive ridley sea turtle has made history by nesting in Orange County, California. Two nests (suspected by the same turtle) have now been documented in Seal Beach and Huntington Beach, marking the first documented olive ridley nesting on the U.S. West Coast.

Olive ridleys typically nest much farther south, so seeing one come ashore here is pretty unusual! Each nest is estimated to contain 50–100 eggs, which will incubate for roughly 45–60 days.

The nests are being protected, and beachgoers are being asked to give them plenty of space. Now we wait and see what happens! 🐢🌊

Read more: https://abc7.com/post/olive-ridley-sea-turtle-lays-eggs-orange-county-first-west-coast/19856119/ taken in California USA by @seaturtleweek

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23 days ago