Caretta Caretta Loggerhead sea turtles are the symbol of the ecology
of Zakynthos in the Greek Islands. Greece, in particular Zakynthos,
is the largest nesting ground for Caretta Caretta sea turtles in the
Mediterranean Sea with over 3,000 nests each year.
The National
Marine Park of Zakynthos was established to help protect the Caretta
Caretta Turtles, particularly with the growth of tourism in Zante
threatening some of their nesting grounds. There are now some
restrictions on some beaches after sunset and a few are closed
altogether from tourists.
While you are on holiday in Zante you will have the opportunity to
learn more about the Caretta Caretta Turtles and you can even partake in
a Turtle Spotting trip to see them swimming in their natural habitat.
The Bay of Laganas, located on the South West coast of Zakynthos, is
considered to be the largest nesting ground in the Mediterranean for the
Caretta Caretta loggerhead sea turtle.
Caretta Caretta turtles are commonly called the "loggerhead" sea
turtle due to their large heads with a horny beak that is thicker than
other sea turtles. Caretta Caretta are the largest hard-shelled turtle
in the world.
Caretta Caretta loggerhead sea turtles are the world's most-studied
and well-known sea-turtle. An adult loggerhead turtles weigh between 77
and 160 kg, and measures between 31 to 45 inches long. Their shell is a
golden brown colour, with skin tones from yellow to brown.
The Caretta Caretta has become an endangered species, in part due to
the development of tourism in their major nesting grounds.
The Mediterranean Sea provides a nursery for young Caretta Caretta
loggerhead sea turtles. It is well documented that the female turtles
swim away from the beach where they are hatched, into what is known as
the 'lost years'. Little is known of where they reside during that time.
When they are finally ready, after a period of about thirty years, to
breed, they return to the very same breeding ground where they were
conceived, and actually return three times during the summer season to
lay their eggs on the very same beach where they were hatched.
Below the video we have provided more information about the sea
turtles in Zakynthos and what you can do to help protect this endangered
species while on holiday in Zante this summer.
The Caretta Caretta Life Cycle
The Caretta Caretta loggerhead turtle’s mating period may last up to
six weeks. It appears that the turtles court their mates. Nuzzling,
biting, head movements and flipper movements are all examples of male
courtship behaviour.
Studies show that male Caretta Caretta loggerhead sea turtles
approach the females and attempt to mount them, while females resist.
The male and female Caretta Caretta sea turtles may circle each other,
and if the male has competitors, the female may leave the males to
struggle with each other. The winner then mounts the female and mating
begins.
Over a mating season, the female Caretta Caretta loggerhead turtles
usually produce two or three nests. After this they produce no eggs for
an average two to three years.
Unlike other sea turtles, courtship and mating usually do not take
place near the nesting beach, but rather along migration routes between
feeding and breeding grounds. In the Mediterranean, Caretta Caretta
loggerhead turtles mate from late March to early June. The nesting
season peaks in June and July, but varies by nesting beach.
All sea turtles have similar basic nesting behaviors. Females return to
lay their eggs on or near the beach where they hatched. They haul out of
the water, climb the beach, excavate a body pit, lay eggs, fill the egg
chamber, fill the body pit, and finally return to sea.
Although Caretta Caretta loggerhead sea turtles move quickly in the
ocean, they are slow and unable to defend themselves on land. Male
Caretta Caretta loggerhead sea turtles hardly ever leave the sea. Female
Caretta Caretta turtles leave the sea only to lay eggs, nesting at night
between sunset and sunrise. Female Caretta Caretta loggerhead turtles
generally nest every two to three years.
The nesting process can take between one and three hours. The female
turtle will normally lay between fifty and two hundred eggs, the size of
golf balls, in her nest. When she has laid her last egg, she covers the
eggs with sand, stamping down the sand with her plastron. She then
flings more sand about with her flippers to camouflage the nest.
It takes around two months for Caretta Caretta eggs to incubate. The
hatchling turtles emerge from their nests, after sunset, and make their
way to the sea shore, under the light of the stars and the moon.
Light reflected off the water from the moon and stars helps to guide
the hatchling Caretta Caretta loggerhead turtles to the sea. Problems
can occur if car headlights, street lamps, or lights on buildings near
the beach cause hatchlings to travel in the wrong direction. Any baby
hatchlings still on the beach in the morning may be eaten by predators
or die in the heat of the sun.
Hatchlings average about 1.8 inches in length and weigh around 20
grams when they are born. After hatching, the baby Caretta Caretta
turtles enter the sea and swim away from land for several days. The
"post-hatchlings" then return to find a home rather close to shore. They
may stay there for months, feeding on floating material and occasionally
swimming to keep from getting too cold.
Eventually, they enter ocean currents farther from shore and move
into the oceanic zone where they remain until they reach the juvenile
stage of their life, between the ages 7 and 12.
Only one in each 1,000 baby Caretta Caretta turtles is expected to
survive once they make it to the open seas. With soft shells they are
eaten by fish and other sea animals. They also get caught in fishing
nets and are sometimes suffocated by plastic bags floating in the ocean.
Those that do survive go on to move into the neritic zone and remain
there until reaching adulthood. The neritic zone is also an important
area for adult foraging and inter-nesting habitats.
Sea turtles live in almost every ocean of the world. Their smooth
shells and paddle-like flippers help them speed through the water as
fast as 24 kph. These long-distance travellers have been known to swim
up to 4828 km.
Although Caretta Caretta sea turtles cannot withdraw their heads into
their shells, the adult Caretta Caretta loggerhead turtles are protected
from predators by their shells, their large size, and of course the
thick scaly skin on their heads and necks.
Threats to the Caretta Caretta in Zakynthos
In recent decades, with the development of tourism in particular, a
number of threats to the Caretta Caretta have emerged.
Fishing gear poses one of the largest threats to the loggerhead sea
turtles, who are commonly caught in long lines and gill nets, and
accidentally captured in traps, pots, trawls, and dredges. When caught
up in fishing gear, Caretta Caretta turtles risk serious injury or
drowning.
Artificial lighting is a particular problem for the loggerhead
hatchlings, contributing to thousands of deaths per year. Hatchlings
move to the water soon after birth, using the glare of moonlight in the
ocean as their guide down to the sea. Artificial lighting often leads
these hatchlings in dangerous directions.
The loggerheads spend a significant portion of their lives in the open
ocean and are often harmed by mistaking floating debris, such as plastic
bags and pellets for jellyfish, one of their main sources of food.
Ingesting a plastic bag can kill a Caretta Caretta turtle.
Development of tourist beaches, docks and marinas can destroy near shore
habitats and risks harming the loggerheads through gasoline and oil
discharge at the marina fuelling stations. Boat traffic and dredging can
degrade the loggerheads' habitats and can also potentially injure or
kill loggerheads by hitting them. In recent years, a number of turtles
have been maimed around Zante by boat propellers making contact with
their fins.
Disruption of the turtle during nesting, by humans or objects such as
sun loungers, can cause a female turtle to abandon her egg laying
process. If the female Caretta Caretta becomes frightened while on the
beach she may return to the sea and abort her eggs.
With such difficulties facing the Caretta Caretta turtle, it is clear
why they are now registered as an endangered species. It is important
for tourists to understand and respect their natural environment, and
work with the National Marine Park of Zakynthos to help protect these
sea turtles.
Protecting the Caretta Caretta in Zakynthos
The National Marine Park in Zakynthos works hard to protect the
turtles in Zante from danger and disruption. There are a number of
threats to the Caretta Caretta here, and they have set out to minimise
the impact of human development on this endangered species.
Marine Park kiosks are located all along the southern coast of the
island, covering the area of Laganas to Gerakas, and the island of
Marathonisi, pelouzo, and the beach of Sekania.
The National Marine Park has issued a few simple guidelines for
tourists in Zante:
Access to the main beaches in the Gulf of Laganas and Gerakas is
prohibited between sunset and sunrise
Sun umbrellas must not be placed in the sand in marked zones
Rubbish must be cleared away off the beaches to ensure it will
not interrupt the crawl of the Caretta Caretta turtles as they make
their way across the sand
Bright lights should not be turned on near nesting beaches at
night because it disturbs the turtles
Vehicles are prohibited on the protected beaches
Only passive watersports may be performed on the main nesting
beaches in the Gulf of Laganas
The National Marine Park also implements a number of other protective
measures to ensure the turtles are as undisturbed as possible. In many
places during the nesting season, eco-workers search the coastline for
nests. They uncover the nest and count its eggs. If necessary they
relocate it to protect it from humans and other threats.
Plastic fencing can also protect eggs from large predators such as
raccoons or dogs. Often wooden fences are placed around the nest to
indicate to the public that there is a nest here, to avoid walking on it
or lounging over the nest during the day.
Several days after eggs hatch, the workers examine the nest, tallying
hatched eggs, undeveloped eggs, and dead hatchlings. Any remaining live
hatchlings are either raised and released or taken to research
facilities.
While you are in Zante, make sure you keep the Caretta Caretta in mind!
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