Come Experience the Wonders of Fall on Anna Maria Island, Florida
It's one of the best kept secrets, the fall season on Anna Maria Island is an amazing time to experience some of the wonders this treasured Florida island has to offer. The island becomes quiet with most tourists that have departed and kids back in school. The beaches become even more idyllic and tranquil which provides nature the perfect setting for what comes next, SEA TURTLE HATCHLING season.
Sea Turtle season is a big deal on Anna Maria Island. The seven mile long stretch of beach is the nursery for five different types of sea turtles and thousands of hatchlings each year. It runs from May 1st to Oct 31st each year. Sea turtles spend most of their lives in the ocean often far from shore, when they finally come back it's a special event. Incubation takes anywhere from 55 to 75 days before the hatchlings break ground and make a run for the water.
Sea turtles and visitors share this delicate eco-system. Nature needs a little help sometimes, so the islanders have ensured that these nests are well protected. The entire shoreline of Anna Maria Island is monitored at dawn each day during the season by the trained staff of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring. These walkers identify and report the crawls from female turtles and flag their nests at dawn long before most folks rise from sleep. Walkers also report the locations of turtle hatchling emergence every morning by 7:30 am, taping off the nest area with yellow tape and signage. Now that's dedication!
Photo credit: Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring
Five Types of Anna Maria Island Sea Turtles
There are five types of turtles that call the Anna Maria Island area home. They graze mainly on sea grasses, algae and jellyfish in the waters surrounding our little island. Once a female reaches the age between 16 to 30 years she returns to the beach to lay her nest. Many of the turtles listed below are on the endangered species list, due to commercial harvesting of eggs and meat, Fibropapillomatosis, a debilitating tumor producing disease, coastal development of nesting habitats, marine debris (plastic bags), disorientation of hatchlings from beachfront lighting, watercraft strikes, predators, and commercial fishing operations.
Green Sea Turtle
Status: Endangered
Size: 4 feet, 440 lbs
Description: Large, heart shaped shell, small head, single clawed flippers, varied colours
Diet: Sea grass and algae
Hatchlings Description: Black carapace (shell), white plastron and limbs
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
Status: Endangered
Size: 2.5 feet, 175 lbs
Description: Small, Eeongated tear drop shaped shell, overlapping carapace (shell), small head with hawk-like beak, two claw flippers, brown with splashes of yellow or light brown
Diet: primarily eats sponges
Hatchlings Description: Black carapace (shell), black plastron and limbs
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle
Status: Endangered
Size: 2 feet, 100 lbs
Description: Small,oval egg-shaped shell, small head with hawk-like beak, trangle shaped head, olive-grey colour
Diet: primarily eats crabs
Hatchlings Description: Black carapace (shell), black plastron and limbs
Leatherback Sea Turtle
Status: Endangered
Size: 8 feet, 2000 lbs
Description: Large, tear-drop, leathery skin-type shell, small head with hawk-like beak, pink spot on head, pale-grey to black colour, with lighter spotted lines, padle-like clawless flippers
Diet: primarily eats jellyfish, squid and crustaceans
Hatchlings Description: Black carapace (shell), black plastron and limbs
Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Status: Threatened
Size: 3 feet, 200 lbs
Description: Oval egg-shaped shell, large head with blunt jaws, trangle shaped head, reddish-brown colour, pastron is yellow
Diet: primarily eats mollusks, crustaceans, and fish
Hatchlings Description: Light-brown to black carapace (shell), black plastron and limbs
Hatchling Facts
A sea turtle nest is called a 'CLUTCH'
Sea turtles lay on average 110 eggs per clutch
Sea turtles nest on the same beaches where they were born
Eggs look like soft round ping pong balls and are soft to the touch
Photo credit: Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Monitoring
Once a nest is laid female turtles never return to tend to it
Sea turtles must lay their eggs in the sand because the embryos breath air through their shell
Hatchlings range in size from 1 - 2 inches in length
Hatchlings usually emerge from nests at night, using the moonlight reflection as a guide to the shoreline
Hatchlings are attracted to light and will head in the direction of the brightest illumination
Hatchlings emerge together to increase their chances of survival
Hatchlings can lose up to 20% of their body mass due to dehydration as they journey to the ocean
Hatchlings can swim up to 20 hours from birth, to take them far out into the ocean
Only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings survive to adulthood
Sex is determined by the temperature of the underground nest (higher temperatures = females, lower temperatures = males)
A Florida Sea Turtle Study Video
Sea turtle nests are incubated for approximately 90 days. Hatchlings usually emerge during the months of August, September and October. The weather is still hot during that time, ranging from
Sea Turtle Protection Laws You Need to Know About
No parking or driving motor vehicles on nesting habitat
All artificial lights visible from the nesting beaches must be turned off from May to October
All trash, beach chairs, toys, tents and paraphernalia must be removed from the beach daily
"Sea turtles are either endangered or threatened... They are protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 and Florida's Marine Turtle Protection Act (379.2431, Florida Statutes). Florida Statutes (F.A.C. Rule 68E-1) restrict the take, possession, disturbance, mutilation, destruction, selling, transference, molestation, and harassment of marine turtles, nests or eggs. Protection is also afforded to marine turtle habitat. A specific authorization from Commission staff is required to conduct scientific, conservation, or educational activities that directly involve marine turtles in or collected from Florida, their nests, hatchlings or parts thereof, regardless of applicant's possession of any federal permit. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) dually review permits for coastal construction under Chapter 62B, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.). that affects Marine Turtles."
How You Can Make a Difference
LEARN: Enjoy a 'Turtle Talk' seminar and discover more about our Anna Maria turtles. Perfect for all ages with videos, handouts, activity books and tattoos for kids. Free admission. Turtle Talks take place each Tuesday at 10:00 am during June and July at the at the CrossPointe Fellowship Church, 8605 Gulf Dr, Holmes Beach
LIGHTS: Turn off, shield or curtain any exterior or interior lights that are visible to the beach
No flashlights, photographic flashbulbs, or bonfires are allowed on the beach from May to October
DO NOT DISTURB: If you experience a nest hatching, stay still, remain quiet and do not block hatchlings from their path to the Gulf of Mexico. Do not touch any nests that have not hatched. If you see a cage over a nest, it's normal. Cages are placed to protect hatchlings from predators and nearby light disruption.
CONSUME: Choose fish and seafood that is sustainable
CLEAN: Clean the beach each time you visit (do not take plastic bags to the beach)
FLATTEN BEACH: Keep the beach flat, remove sandcastles, fill in holes to avoid obstacles for the turtles
CONSERVE: Report an unmarked, hatching, disrupted nest or eggs to the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch
BOATING: Be alert when boating to avoid strikes, keep garbage inside the boat
DUNES: Avoid walking on dunes and plants (sea oats) that support the nesting habitat
ADOPT A NEST: You can help support AMI Turtle Watch program by adopting a nest for a $100.00 tax deductible donation. Donate here.
VOLUNTEER: If you feel like getting more involved, volunteer to patrol the beach at dawn monitoring sea turtle nests. Volunteer here.
REPORT: Anyone harassing a sea turtle or interfering with hatchlings or nesting faces criminal penalties up to $50,000. Report to Florida Marine Patrol 1-800-DIAL-FMP
CONTACT: If you need to report an injured or dead turtle or hatchling wandering on the roadways, call the AMI Turtle Watch at 941-778-5638
Florida Wildlife Conservation Hotline 1-888-404-3922
What's the temperature during fall season on Anna Maria Island?
The warm weather makes it ideal for sea turtle eggs to incubate and hatchlings to survive in their first few days and months of life. It's also the perfect time to visit Florida.
Average Climate Temperatures Average Gulf Temperatures
August High 93F / 34C Gulf 87F / 31C
September High 90F / 32C Gulf 86F / 30C
October High 86F / 30C Gulf 82F / 28C
Where to stay
Anna Maria Island Home Rentals provides you with luxurious waterfront private homes perfect for boating and water sports. Stay in one of bright and cheery 'Sirenia' branded vacation rentals and you, like many of our previous guests will want to return again and again. We go out of our way to provide customer service and amenities that can't be matched. We even offer online booking of things to do and local activities, like bike, golf cart, kayak rentals and more.
A sampling of Anna Maria Island Home Rentals extra amenities:
(see properties page for amenities of each vacation rental - Sirenia Beach House photo above)
Tiki Huts
Hammocks
Heated Pools
Hot Tubs
Free Access to Fitness Center
Large Fluffy Beach Towels
Ping Pong Tables
Basketball Nets
Sauna
Docks
Fully Outfitted Kitchens
Gas & Charcoal Grills
Outdoor Showers
Beach Carts, Coolers and Toys
Walking Distance to Beaches
Please feel free to contact us if you are interested in visiting Anna Maria Island during sea turtle hatchling season or book securely online.
Want to save this article? Use the buttons below to save it to your favourite social media forum.
Links and Resources:
ScheduleSchedule
