The leatherbacks are here! EARLY!! The first nest of the year was documented on February 6th – the earliest on record in Florida. We are now aware of SIX nests on our study area. Doss that mean it will be a record year? We hope so! Thanks to our friends at Ecological Associates Inc. for Read more about Well, they are here early![…]
We’re fast approaching the peak of leatherback nesting and wanted to give you a quick update. We have encountered leatherbacks a total of 182 times. We often see the same individuals multiple times since leatherbacks return every 8-11 days and can nest up to 10-11 times each season! We have seen a total of 86 Read more about Mid-Season Update[…]
It’s been a bit of a slow start for us. We had multiple ATV issues pop up within just two days and out survey team got cut short until we could get them repaired. Our team covers approximately 25 miles of beach each night with just a three-volunteer team so our ATVs are crucial to Read more about Three Week Update[…]
In less than two months, our team will once again be on the beach conducting research on Florida’s endangered leatherback sea turtles. Our lead biologists have been doing this work for nearly 20 years! We have encountered leatherbacks thousands of times and identified over 800 unique individuals. In 2019, our team of volunteers encountered leatherbacks Read more about The 2019 season is almost here![…]
It’s World Sea Turtle Day so we thought we’d give you a season update – finally! These girls have been keeping us busy! We have passed the 300 mark! We’ve now had a total of 316 encounters this year. Most of these turtles have been seen numerous times throughout the nesting season. We have seen Read more about World Sea Turtle Day![…]
Ever wanted to chat with a sea turtle? Send a text message to Isla the leatherback and see what she is up to! She can be reached at 831-346-ISLA (831-346-4752) Isla will be happy to let you know where she is, how she is doing or what she encounters out there in the ocean. Send Read more about Chat with Isla the leatherback turtle[…]
As of last night we reached 150 encounters this season! We’ve had 27 encounters this week alone. We have seen a total of 78 individuals and 19 of those were new, untagged turtles. A few days ago we found a turtle with a PIT tag that we didn’t recognize. We asked around and discovered that Read more about 150 Encounters[…]
This week our team passed 100 leatherback encounters for the season. We are currently at 114 encounters and the peak of season is still a few weeks away. We have seen a total of 71 individuals. 15 of those were new, untagged turtles. This week alone we have had 21 encounters. Our most frequently encountered Read more about 100+ Encounters[…]
Today marks Earth Day and we thought it would be an appropriate time to give you a season update. The team at Florida Leatherbacks Inc. has been so excited for such a great year. We feel very lucky to be doing the work we’re doing and we love to share it with you. We Read more about Earth Day Update[…]
It’s only April 6th but we’re already up to 37 leatherback encounters! That could be a sign of a good year! At this point last year, we had just 12! Several of our turtles have now been seen more than once. Rosa is already on her fourth nest! Last night we encountered six leatherbacks! That’s Read more about Big Year?[…]