Sea Turtle Question

[jerry]

So we found (and erased) the trail of a big sea turtle that laid it's eggs last night on the beach.She didn't do to good a job of covering it so I put a bit more sand on it and kind of hid it (the fishermen,birds and critters all are fans)...How deep should the sand be on the nest (120 eggs)

 

[moore_rb]

Egg chamber depth usually appoximates the length of the rear flippers of the mother, so maybe 16-20 inches...?


"Depending upon the species and the temperature of incubation, the time between egg deposition and hatchling emergence will range anywhere from 45 to 75 days "

http://www.fisheries.vims.edu/turtletracking/nestingbehavior.html

 

[MIRAMAR]

Contact CEDO immediately. They build a wire fence around the nest, and track the progress. In Playa Miramar, we had several turtles a few years ago lay nests, and CEDO came out and monitored them. We must have had a nest last year, because around Thanksgiving, I found a small baby turtle carcuss which hadn't been dead for a while, so the nest must have hatched just a few days prior. I figured if I found one, several made it to the water ,

 

[Roberto]

Ok Jer, full report. What species ?

 

[Stuart]

Geez, Jerry... if you REALLY wanted to make a difference, you'd just sit on them until they hatched! :cluck:

 

[rockyptjoe]

Geez, Jerry... if you REALLY wanted to make a difference, you'd just sit on them until they hatched! :cluck:

Oh come on Stuart...Jerry has been on excellent behavior lately....don't even recognize him on here anymore!!!:moon::stir:

 

[Stuart]

Yeah, he has been on good behavior of late. He's still a :jerry:though! :jerry2: :jerry2:

 

[jerry]

Miramar if you put one one of those fences around it the fishermen see it and it's fried turtle egg sandwiches all around!!!! Feeling pretty good these days down here in old Santo Tomas....I have lots of schemes afoot.
I also just finished my autographed copy of Gillespie's Gold (the author even drew a picture of a fishing boat...ebay 13 bucks) and I learned a few things:
As a writer the Author was a really good painter
Gillespie was sort of a dick
one good tip on gathering clams and one on finding gold
Being born a multimillionaire sure helps you make thousands mining gold

 

[MIRAMAR]

Miramar if you put one one of those fences around it the fishermen see it and it's fried turtle egg sandwiches all around!!!! Feeling pretty good these days down here in old Santo Tomas....I have lots of schemes afoot.
I also just finished my autographed copy of Gillespie's Gold (the author even drew a picture of a fishing boat...ebay 13 bucks) and I learned a few things:
As a writer the Author was a really good painter
Gillespie was sort of a dick
one good tip on gathering clams and one on finding gold
Being born a multimillionaire sure helps you make thousands mining gold

And being caught in a Chubasco, and landing on beautiful playa helps you pick out your prime beach front property.

As for the fences, they worked out well on our beach, stopping the coyotes and dogs which could dig them up. I can't answer to the fisherman.

 

[AZ ROB]

Rub it in Jerry I have been trying to find a copy of that book for a long time Just didnt want to pay the big bucks.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B002OJXQDI/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&qid=1311769060&sr=1-2&condition=used

 

[azfish]

Geez, Jerry... if you REALLY wanted to make a difference, you'd just sit on them until they hatched! :cluck:

Your so bad. LOL

 

[Roberto]

I also just finished my autographed copy of Gillespie's Gold (the author even drew a picture of a fishing boat...ebay 13 bucks)

Wow, good price Jerry. Listed for sale on ABEBooks.com at $30 to $225.00!!! Zowie.

 

[mexicoruss]

I have a copy but cant find it.........seadweller?

 

[MIRAMAR]

Did they hatch?

 

[jerry]

Well they have not hatched yet according to the guards...To late? Not sure if we buried them the right depth

 

[MIRAMAR]

Looks like it's pretty variable by species as to when they hatch:

Green Sea Turtle: At around 45 to 75 days, the eggs hatch during the night, and the hatchlings instinctively head directly into the water. This is the most dangerous time in a turtle's life.

Leatherback: The eggs hatch in about sixty to seventy days.

Loggerheads: 80 days

Olive Ridley: The incubation period is usually between 45–51 days under natural conditions, but may extend to 70 days in poor weather conditions. Eggs incubated at temperatures of 31-32 degrees Celsius will produce only females; eggs incubated at a temperature of 28 degrees or less will produce solely males; and incubation temperatures of 29-30 degrees will produce a mixed sex clutch2. Hatching success can vary by beach and year, due to changing environmental conditions and rates of nest predation.