Once out of the nest, hatchlings face many predators including ghost crabs, birds, raccoons, dogs, and fish. can lead hatchlings in the wrong direction, also known as disorientation. Any other light sources such as beachfront lighting, street lights, light from cars, campfires etc. Hatchlings use the natural light horizon, which is usually over the ocean, along with the white crests of the waves to reach the water when they emerge from the nest. Leatherbacks are pelagic (open water) even as hatchlings and their larger size helps maintain their temperature. Leatherback and flatback hatchlings are significantly larger than other sea turtle species. Unfortunately, hatchlings also mistake garbage and objects like tar balls as food and ingest them. Sea turtle hatchlings eat a variety of prey including things like molluscs and crustaceans, hydrozoans, sargassum sea weed, jellyfish, and fish eggs. It's estimated that only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings will survive to adulthood. The hatchlings do not have sex chromosomes so their gender is determined by the temperature within the nest. The amount of time the egg takes to hatch varies among the different species and is influenced by environmental conditions such as the temperature of the sand. Birds, raccoons, and fish are just a few of the predators these vulnerable creatures face some experts say only one out of a thousand will survive to adulthood under natural conditions.Īfter an adult female sea turtle nests, she returns to the sea, leaving her nest and the eggs within it to develop on their own. Everything from footprints to driftwood and crabs are obstacles, though this gauntlet is important for its survival.

Watching a baby turtle (known as a 'hatchling') struggle out of the nest and make its way to the water is an emotional experience.

Turtle predators