Thursday, Jun 15, 2006
Canaveral National Seashore, FL- On Tuesday, June 13, 2006 A Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii) was observed nesting on Playalinda Beach at Canaveral National Seashore. The turtle was first sighted covering her nest at 10:30am by Student Conservation Association interns Robert Hegna and Matthew Warren as they were out conducting surveys of turtle nests.
The turtle displayed a behavior unique to the species, a sort of “dance” accomplished with the use of her rear flippers bouncing her plastron (the bottom portion of the shell) on top of the nest to compact it. After completing the nest the Kemps headed back out to sea. She may re-emerge in 18-22 days (the average internesting period) to nest again, typically from 6-60 miles from the previous nest. The seashore’s neighbors to the north and south have been alerted to be on watch.
The Kemps Sea Turtle is the smallest and also the most endangered species of sea turtle. It once nested in massive waves of up to 40,000 turtles, known in Mexico as “arribadas,” but now is limited to only around 900 female turtles and an unknown number of males or juveniles in the population as of 2005 (United Nations Environment Programme).
Canaveral National Seashore is home to around 4,000 nests annually. Though most are Loggerhead, Leatherbacks and Green Sea Turtles also utilize the beach for nesting. This sighting is the second Kemp’s Ridley nest to be documented at the Seashore, the first being recorded in 2003, and reaffirms the key role Canaveral National Seashore plays in Sea Turtle Conservation.
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