Three-flippered sea turtle nests on Sanibel
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation reported that Nubbins is a special sea turtle who staff had the joy of encountering in May as she laid her eggs on Sanibel. Named for her missing rear flipper, Nubbins was tagged last year by sea turtle biologist Savannah Weber while she was a graduate student with Florida State University’s Marine Turtle Research, Ecology and Conservation Group (MTRECG).
Led by Dr. Mariana Fuentes, the MTRECG team conducts in-water monitoring in a sea turtle foraging habitat off the coast of Crystal River to determine the sea turtle population structure. Each turtle encountered gets measured, weighed and tagged. Skin samples are also collected for stable isotope analysis, which can reveal information about the turtle’s diet and habitat.
The surveys in the foraging area help assess sea turtle population size, life stage structure and habitat use to improve their conservation and management. As part of a project by PhD candidate Ian Silver-Gorges, the group has also put temporary underwater cameras on the backs of loggerhead turtles to investigate short-term behaviors such as foraging, boat avoidance, and interactions with other turtles and species. The camera stays attached for three to four hours before it separates and transmits a radio signal that the group can follow for retrieval. Nubbins was one of the turtles outfitted with a camera.
The SCCF reported that Nubbins was observed nesting on Sanibel on May 24 during a routine nighttime survey. Since 2016, it has conducted night surveys from May 1 through Aug. 1 each year to tag and collect data on nesting sea turtles. Over 1,000 sea turtles have been encountered since the program’s inception, providing insight into population dynamics, temporal and spatial nesting patterns, and habitat use.
“Sea turtles typically exhibit site fidelity to their foraging habitats, which means they migrate to and from the same general foraging area between nesting periods,” Weber said. “Thanks to SCCF and MTRECG’s collaborative survey efforts, we now know where this loggerhead turtle forages and nests.”
After this nesting season, Nubbins will likely migrate back to the Crystal River foraging area where she will stay for two to three years until she is ready to nest again.
“Nubbins is a very special turtle indeed, and I feel so lucky to have encountered her twice — first at her foraging grounds as part of FSU, and now at her nesting site as part of SCCF,” Weber said.
The SCCF added that as of June 16, sea turtles had laid over 630 nests on Sanibel and Captiva so far this season, including 15 green sea turtle nests.
For more information about the SCCF’s sea turtle program, visit https://sccf.org/what-we-do/protect-wildlife/sea-turtle-program/.
To reach SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION, please email