Sea Turtles of Bonaire
Research, Conservation & [email protected]. 717 2225 - 790 0433
What are sea turtles?
How many species are there? How many around Bonaire?
Where around Bonaire do the turtles live?
How do turtles live? What is their behavior?
How old can sea turtles become?
How can you tell the difference between male and female turtles?
Where do turtles nest on Bonaire? When is the breeding season?
How big is a turtle nest? How long until a nest hatches?
What proportion of hatchlings will survive?
What threats do sea turtles face?
What can I do to help?
What are sea turtles? Reptiles:
vertebrates
air breathing
have waterproof skin
lay eggs on land
What are sea turtles? Reptiles
Evolved from terrestrial turtle (tortoise)
Archelon ischyros, largest marine turtle, known to have lived 70 million years ago
Turtle species we see now have existed for about 20 million years
Archelon ischyros
What are sea turtles?
How many species are there? How many around Bonaire?
Where around Bonaire do the turtles live?
How do turtles live? What is their behavior?
How old can sea turtles become?
How can you tell the difference between male and female turtles?
Where do turtles nest on Bonaire? When is the breeding season?
How big is a turtle nest? How long until a nest hatches?
What proportion of hatchlings will survive?
What threats do sea turtles face?
What can I do to help?
Worldwide7 sea turtle species
Bonaire3 regularly seen species2 rarely seen species
Found elsewhere Kemps Ridley Flatback turtle HawksbillLoggerheadGreen turtleLeatherbackOlive Ridley
Green turtleTurtuga blankuChelonia mydasHawksbill turtleTurtuga karetEretmochelys imbricata
What are sea turtles?
How many species are there? How many around Bonaire?
Where around Bonaire do the turtles live?
How do turtles live? What is their behavior?
How old can sea turtles become?
How can you tell the difference between male and female turtles?
Where do turtles nest on Bonaire? When is the breeding season?
How big is a turtle nest? How long until a nest hatches?
What proportion of hatchlings will survive?
What threats do sea turtles face?
What can I do to help?
Where around Bonaire do the turtles live?Some survey and tagging program objectives:
make an accurate count of turtles by species locate the foraging habitats most used by turtles measure how fast individual turtles are growing determine how much turtles move around
What are sea turtles?
How many species are there? How many around Bonaire?
Where around Bonaire do the turtles live?
How do turtles live? What is their behavior?
How old can sea turtles become?
How can you tell the difference between male and female turtles?
Where do turtles nest on Bonaire? When is the breeding season?
How big is a turtle nest? How long until a nest hatches?
What proportion of hatchlings will survive?
What threats do sea turtles face?
What can I do to help?
Sea turtle general life history
Depth (m)Turtle diving behavior turtles living on reefs are active during day, mostly resting at night surfacing every 20-60 min depth range of juvenile hawksbills to 50 meters, adults to 200 meters leatherback turtles can dive to depths >1000 m
Sea turtle behaviors Feeding
Resting
Mating other behaviorsPhoto by Ellen MullerPhoto by Ellen Muller
Turtle migratory behavior where do turtles go after they are done laying nests on Bonaire?
two hawksbill turtles tracked in 2003 with satellite transmitters
two hawksbills, one green and one loggerhead tracked in 2004 with satellite transmitters
Satellite Tracking 2003 & 2004
Turtle Migratory BehaviorSatellite Tracking 2003 and 2004
Satellite Tracking 2005 Albert - male hawksbill fitted with transmitter 09 June Captured off Ebos ReefSponsored by the cruise ship Freewinds
Photo by Steve Jarrad
Satellite Tracking 2005 Happy - female loggerhead fitted with transmitter on 24 June at SW Corner Departed 29 June Arrived Vieques Passage 18 July Swam over 1100 km Sponsored by the Rotterdam Zoo
What are sea turtles?
How many species are there? How many around Bonaire?
Where around Bonaire do the turtles live?
How do turtles live? What is their behavior?
How old can sea turtles become?
How can you tell the difference between male and female turtles?
Where do turtles nest on Bonaire? When is the breeding season?
How big is a turtle nest? How long until a nest hatches?
What proportion of hatchlings will survive?
What threats do sea turtles face?
What can I do to help?
Sea turtle longevity Sea turtles are slow growing
15-30 years to maturity is typical
Adult turtles that we see may be 15-60 years old
What are sea turtles?
How many species are there? How many around Bonaire?
Where around Bonaire do the turtles live?
How do turtles live? What is their behavior?
How old can sea turtles become?
How can you tell the difference between male and female turtles?
Where do turtles nest on Bonaire? When is the breeding season?
How big is a turtle nest? How long until a nest hatches?
What proportion of hatchlings will survive?
What threats do sea turtles face?
What can I do to help?
For juvenile turtles you cannot tell males from females by looking at them
Only when adult do the males have long tails and claws on their front flippers
What are sea turtles?
How many species are there? How many around Bonaire?
Where around Bonaire do the turtles live?
How do turtles live? What is their behavior?
How old can sea turtles become?
How can you tell the difference between male and female turtles?
Where do turtles nest on Bonaire? When is the breeding season?
How big is a turtle nest? How long until a nest hatches?
What proportion of hatchlings will survive?
What threats do sea turtles face?
What can I do to help?
BONAIRE
KLEINBONAIREMain sea turtle nesting areasaround Bonaire Playa Benge Playa Chikitu Lagoen No NamePocket Beaches
Klein Bonaires No Name nesting beach
Hurricane Lenny damaged manyBonaire nesting beaches
Bonaire sea turtle nesting calendarPrimarybeaches
Chikitu W.P. Benge W.P.
No Name K.B.
No Name K.B. Pocket Beaches
What are sea turtles?
How many species are there? How many around Bonaire?
Where around Bonaire do the turtles live?
How do turtles live? What is their behavior?
How old can sea turtles become?
How can you tell the difference between male and female turtles?
Where do turtles nest on Bonaire? When is the breeding season?
How big is a turtle nest? How long until a nest hatches?
What proportion of hatchlings will survive?
What threats do sea turtles face?
What can I do to help?
Sea turtle nestcharacteristics
Green turtle: ~100 eggs per nest ~80 cm deep prefers open beach
Loggerhead: ~120 eggs per nest ~60 cm deep prefers base of dune
Hawksbill turtle: ~150 eggs per nest ~50 cm deep prefers under vegetation
Sea turtle nests hatch after about two months incubation
What are sea turtles?
How many species are there? How many around Bonaire?
Where around Bonaire do the turtles live?
How do turtles live? What is their behavior?
How old can sea turtles become?
How can you tell the difference between male and female turtles?
Where do turtles nest on Bonaire? When is the breeding season?
How big is a turtle nest? How long until a nest hatches?
What proportion of hatchlings will survive?
What threats do sea turtles face?
What can I do to help?
Turtles vulnerable to predation, especially when smallSurvival ratio example for stable population:
Hawksbill turtle female:lays 150 eggs per nest4 nests per seasonone season every 3 years12 year reproductive life (5 seasons) -> 3000 eggs produced during lifetime
successful hatch rate of about 75% -> 2250 hatchlings produced during lifetimeneeds to produce 2 replacement adults (1 female and 1 male) -> stable population survival ratio: 2250:2 = 1125:1
What are sea turtles?
How many species are there? How many around Bonaire?
Where around Bonaire do the turtles live?
How do turtles live? What is their behavior?
How old can sea turtles become?
How can you tell the difference between male and female turtles?
Where do turtles nest on Bonaire? When is the breeding season?
How big is a turtle nest? How long until a nest hatches?
What proportion of hatchlings will survive?
What threats do sea turtles face?
What can I do to help?
Fibropapillomatosis occurs in green turtles at Lac Bay and LagoenTurtles threatened by:
exploitation at sea (turtle meat, shell) exploitation on the nesting beach (eggs, turtle meat) habitat destruction (such as coastal development) disease (such as fibropapillomatosis) fisheries by-catch pollution (such as entanglement)
What are sea turtles?
How many species are there? How many around Bonaire?
Where around Bonaire do the turtles live?
How do turtles live? What is their behavior?
How old can sea turtles become?
How can you tell the difference between male and female turtles?
Where do turtles nest on Bonaire? When is the breeding season?
How big is a turtle nest? How long until a nest hatches?
What proportion of hatchlings will survive?
What threats do sea turtles face?
What can I do to help?
What you can do to help:
Dont pollute the sea
Keep vehicles off the beaches
Never buy sea turtle products, such as tortoise shell jewelry
Report any turtles in trouble around Bonaire to us immediately
Help out as a volunteer in our research, conservation and educational activities
Become a member or make a donation
Visit us at www.BonaireTurtles.orgSupport Bonaire www.SupportBonaire.org
Sea Turtles of Bonaire
Research, Conservation & [email protected]. 717 2225 - 790 0433Support Bonaire Inc. www.supportbonaire.org
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