Discover the fascinating sea turtles you might encounter along the Sunshine Coast and beyond!
Since their ancient ancestors first ventured into the oceans, sea turtles have returned to land to nest on beaches around the world. This strategy has served them well for over 100 million years, but today, all sea turtle species face a variety of human-induced threats that jeopardize their survival.
The primary species nesting on Sunshine Coast beaches are the loggerhead turtle and the green turtle.
Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)
Loggerhead turtles are a vital part of the marine ecosystem. In Australia, the eastern population comprises only around 500 nesting females, making the Sunshine Coast population a small yet significant sub-population.
Adult loggerheads vary in size depending on their geographic location, with those in the western Pacific reaching up to 150 kg. These turtles inhabit the world’s three major ocean basins—the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans—as well as the Mediterranean Sea, primarily within a temperature range of 16-20°C. In the western Pacific, there are an estimated 1,200 nesting females, with about 500 found along the Queensland coast.
Loggerhead turtles typically lay between 95 and 150 eggs per clutch. In Australia, the average clutch size is around 127 eggs, though this can vary significantly between individual nests. Females nesting on the Sunshine Coast usually nest every 10-14 days, with incubation times ranging from 56 to 90 days, averaging around 63 days during the summer.
Their diet primarily consists of clams, saucer scallops, and a variety of sea anemones, crabs, and jellyfish.
Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Green turtles are found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, inhabiting the coastal waters of at least 140 countries.
Female green turtles typically lay between one and seven clutches per season, with three being the most common. There is usually a 12-14 day interval between each nesting. On average, each clutch contains around 110 eggs, and females rarely return the following year; they may wait four to seven years before nesting again.
In undisturbed nests, green turtles boast a high hatching success rate of up to 90%. Hatchlings enter the sea as omnivores, consuming nearly any small food they encounter. In Australia, young green turtles remain at sea until they reach about 35 cm in length, at which point they move into shallower seagrass areas.