Sea Turtle Homecoming: Four Beauties to Return to the Ocean

Four sea turtles will be released back into their ocean habitat on Saturday after undergoing rehabilitation at the Marathon Turtle Hospital.

The Turtle Hospital is extending an invitation to the public to witness the release event and support the turtles as they return to the wild following months of care.

The Turtle Hospital team will arrive at Sombrero Beach in Marathon at 4:30 pm on Saturday, December 30, with the release scheduled for 4:45 pm.

The turtles, named Kokomo, Poly, Sneezy, and Grumpy, were rescued in the Florida Keys and received treatment at The Turtle Hospital for fibropapillomatosis.

Their care involved tumor removal surgeries, broad-spectrum antibiotics, fluids, vitamins, and a nutritious diet consisting of greens and mixed seafood.

According to Marathon Turtle Hospital Manager Bette Zirkelbach, all four juvenile green sea turtles have made a full recovery and are prepared to return to their ocean home.

Source: www.keysnews.com

Where Do Sea Turtles Lay Eggs?

Female sea turtles typically emerge from the ocean at night to lay their eggs on the seashores. Most sea turtles return to the beaches where they were born to construct their nests.

They are drawn to the dark and relatively safe environment to search for a suitable nesting site.

Once they have chosen a location, sea turtles use their back flippers to dig a deep egg chamber, where they deposit their eggs before carefully covering them with sand.

Sea turtles select a nesting site with a temperature suitable for hatching a balanced number of male and female hatchlings.

Higher temperatures during incubation can lead to more female hatchlings. After burying the eggs, sea turtles promptly depart from the nest.

This behavior is not due to negligence but rather a strategy to avoid attracting predators to the nesting grounds. Learn more here, When Do Sea Turtle Eggs Hatch?