In just about a month, hundreds of nesting sea turtles will return to Sanibel and Captiva’s shores to lay their eggs throughout sea turtle nesting season, which in Florida runs from May through October.  

Southwest Florida is home to important nesting beaches for sea turtles, with adult female loggerheads, greens, and — in rare occasions — Kemp’s ridleys and leatherbacks nesting each year. These turtles undergo an incredible journey, traveling vast distances from their foraging grounds to their mating and nesting sites. These migrations are some of the longest in the animal kingdom.

After spending much of their time feeding in nutrient-rich areas of the ocean, female sea turtles begin their long journey back to the local region where they were hatched. These migrations can span hundreds to thousands of miles, depending on the species and individual turtle. For instance, while some turtles that nest on our Southwest Florida beaches may forage off the West Florida Shelf in the Gulf, others may have foraging grounds in the Florida Keys, Bahamas, or off the coast of Cuba. 

Even across these great distances, sea turtles navigate with remarkable accuracy. They are able to return to the same area, and sometimes the exact beaches they hatched from decades earlier. Research on sea turtle navigation has identified a process called “imprinting” – where hatchlings imprint on the magnetic signature of their natal beach and later use Earth’s magnetic field as a compass to return. Research has also suggested that olfactory, visual, and environmental cues may also aid in their navigation, possibly allowing them to hone in on more precise locations once they’ve returned to their natal waters. 

The long journey to and from nesting beaches can be physiologically demanding, especially for capital breeders like sea turtles, meaning they rely heavily on stored resources accumulated prior to their migration and breeding. They use this stored energy for the production of four to six nests laid across several months. 

After completing egg laying for a season, turtles make the long return trip back to their foraging grounds, where they will rest and refuel (sometimes for two to three years) before undertaking the nesting process again. This cycle, crucial to the production of offspring and survival of species, is made possible by the resilience and navigational prowess of these animals.

For Southwest Florida residents, understanding the migrations of female sea turtles helps highlight the importance of protecting both their foraging and nesting habitats. Simple conservation efforts, such as reducing light pollution, preserving coastal ecosystems, and maintaining clean, natural nesting habitats can make a big difference in ensuring these incredible turtles can continue their great migrations for decades to come.

Learn how you can help sea turtles on Sanibel this season.