Cape Verde SOS Turtles work to protect nesting loggerhead turtles and their habitat, and were particularly pleased with the Loggerhead turtle hatching!
On the 14th January, after an above average incubation period of 85 days, the last 52 turtle hatchlings of the 2013 season left the nest on the beach of Costa Fragata on the east coast of Sal. The first nests of the season had been laid in April as the sand temperature began to warm up after the winter months and the majority of nests hatched after an average incubation period of 54-60 days.
The successful incubation and hatching of these last turtles shows that nests can survive even when the sand temperature gets as low as 25 ° C; the sand is 31° C during the peak spawning time of August to September.
Sand temperature not only determines the incubation period s but also the sex, at temperatures below 28° C most of the chicks are born males. Sadly loggerhead turtles are at risk from hunting for meat, egg stealing, unregulated tourism development and removal of sand for building purposes. It is possible to help protect them by turning off unnecessary lights in houses and buildings next to the beach and not driving vehicles there…find out more from SOS Turtles on one of our wildlife holidays.