International Turtle and Tortoise Week, Day 1The best week of the year is here, and this year it&rsq

International Turtle and Tortoise Week, Day 1

The best week of the year is here, and this year it’s extra special:  It’s the 10th annual International Turtle and Tortoise Week!  A big thanks to the Turtle and Tortoise Preservation GroupandZoo Med Labs for teaming up every year to shellebrate and raise awareness about turtles and tortoises and the threats we shells face to survive.  

What better way to kick off ITTW than with a baby turtle?    If you ever stay near a sea turtle nesting beach, make sure to turn off your outdoor lights and close your curtains at night during hatching season.  After hatching from nests in the sand, baby sea turtles head towards the ocean by instinctively heading towards the brightest direction.  In nature, that is normally the ocean reflecting the night sky.    But when bright humans lights are nearby, baby sea turtles become disoriented, and they end up going the wrong way or, even when they do make it to the ocean, they linger longer in predator-rich nearshore waters that are brightly lit.  Help keep the beach dark when baby turtles are on the run!