Meg Lamont photo.
Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Caretta caretta
Paddle-like front limbs and an enormous head identify the loggerhead sea turtle. It comes ashore at night to nest on the Fort Matanzas National Monument beach during May-August. The female crawls onto the upper beach above the high tide mark or into the dunes to dig her nest. About 100-125 eggs are laid, which hatch 50-60 days later. The hatchlings emerge at night and must find their way to the sea. The east coast of Florida from Fort Matanzas National Monument south to Jupiter Inlet is the largest loggerhead sea turtle rookery in the western Atlantic. The U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service lists the loggerhead sea turtle as a 'Threatened Species'.
