If you have ever saw baby seaturtles than you might have wondered how many of them actually survive into adulthood. Well the answer isn’t as pretty as the sea turtles, but it's the harsh truth.
It is estimated that only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings will survive to adulthood. The major predators of hatchlings are fish, dogs, seabirds, raccoons, ghost crab, and many other predators prey on the eggs. More than 90% of hatchlings are eaten by predators. Sea turtle hatchlings eat a variety of prey including things like molluscs and crustaceans, hydrozoans, sargassum seaweed, jellyfish, and fish eggs.
When it comes to whether hatchlings are male or female depends on the temperature where they are in the nest, known as the “pivotal temperature." The temperature varies among species, ranging between roughly 83-85 degrees Fahrenheit (28-29 degrees Celsius), at which embryos within a nest develop into a mix of males and females. Temperatures above this range produce females and colder temperatures produce males.
Then after 45 to 70 days (depending on the species), the hatchlings begin to pip, or break out of their eggs, using a small temporary tooth located on their snout called a caruncle. Once out of their eggs, they will remain in the nest for a number of days. During this time they will absorb their yolk, which is attached by an umbilical to their abdomen. This yolk will provide them the much-needed energy for their first few days while they make their way from the nest to offshore waters. Click here to watch turtles hatching.
Some interesting facts about sea turtles:
It is estimated that only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings will survive to adulthood. The major predators of hatchlings are fish, dogs, seabirds, raccoons, ghost crab, and many other predators prey on the eggs. More than 90% of hatchlings are eaten by predators. Sea turtle hatchlings eat a variety of prey including things like molluscs and crustaceans, hydrozoans, sargassum seaweed, jellyfish, and fish eggs.
When it comes to whether hatchlings are male or female depends on the temperature where they are in the nest, known as the “pivotal temperature." The temperature varies among species, ranging between roughly 83-85 degrees Fahrenheit (28-29 degrees Celsius), at which embryos within a nest develop into a mix of males and females. Temperatures above this range produce females and colder temperatures produce males.
Then after 45 to 70 days (depending on the species), the hatchlings begin to pip, or break out of their eggs, using a small temporary tooth located on their snout called a caruncle. Once out of their eggs, they will remain in the nest for a number of days. During this time they will absorb their yolk, which is attached by an umbilical to their abdomen. This yolk will provide them the much-needed energy for their first few days while they make their way from the nest to offshore waters. Click here to watch turtles hatching.
Some interesting facts about sea turtles:
- Sea turtles are born with the instinct to move toward the brightest direction. On a natural beach, this direction is the light of the open horizon.
- Sea turtles can live 40 to 60 years or more.
- Sea turtle eggs have an incubation period of about two months.
- Along the Florida coast, sea turtles annually make between 40,000 and 84,000 nests.