Wave after wave slowly drifting!

Last week the turtle team got called out to The Reef Resort in East End to find that the manager had a 8cm Hawksbill hatching that had been washed onto the beach. From initial observations the little fellow had a small surface abrasion on the right hand side of its shell, but other than this, the hatchling was all fit and healthy. After examining the hatchling we decided that the abrasion posed no real threat to its health so advised the manager that it could be released that night.

Photos: Sara Gregson

It is hard to estimate the hatchling’s age, but we estimate it to be around 5-6 weeks old. It is uncertain where it had originated but there are a few scenarios. One possibility is that it may have hatched from another country within the Caribbean basin, or he may have hatched in Little Cayman. We have had 6 confirmed Hawksbill nests there and one coincides with the estimated age of this hatchling.

Hatchlings that survive the journey from the nest to the sea enter the water with enough yolk sac to provide them energy for 24 – 48 hours. This time is crucial for hatchlings to swim as far out to sea as fast as they can until they can shelter in patches of Sargassum or any large floating debris that they can hid within. They enter what is known as the ‘floating nursery’ where they will spend at least a year rafting in the seaweed eating bite sized prey including  molluscs, crustaceans, hydrozoans, jellyfish, fish eggs, and Sargassum. Not only is it a source of food, the Sargassum will also provide the hatchlings with cover from predators. 

After 1-2 years the juveniles will be approximately the size of dinner plates and their pelagic lifestyle will be over as they make their way to coastal areas where they will use the high productivity of shallow coastal habitats to find prey.

At approximately 20-25 years, the turtles will reach sexual maturity and make the long journey back to their original natal beach, where the life cycles starts all over again (there’s the lion king again in the background!).

The little hatchling rescued in East End would have been drifting with the currents in the open ocean when it was pushed off course and onto shore. This is a relatively common occurrence, particularly in the winter and spring. Please call us at on the Turtle Hotline 938-NEST (938-6378) if you find a baby turtle on shore. 

Until we next blog again!

Luc :)