06/12/2026
Named for their large heads and powerful jaws, loggerheads love to munch on hard-shelled prey like crabs and whelks. You have a good chance of seeing this species in our waters right now! It is nesting season, and loggerheads are in town to mate and lay eggs. Last year, over 100,000 loggerhead nests were counted on Florida beaches. This accounts for 90% of the loggerhead nests in North America!
Here's how you can help these nesting mamas and hatchlings:
💡Keep beaches dark: Turn off unnecessary lights after sunset and remember to cover beach-facing windows that may confuse nesting turtles and hatchlings.
🔦 No flash: Avoid using flashlights, bright cellphones, and taking flash photos on the beach at night. These lights can disorient turtles and potentially cause them to crawl away from the ocean.
🏖 Clear the way: Before leaving the beach, clear away furniture, boats, toys, and any trash left behind on the sand that can potentially become obstacles for crawling turtles. Make sure to knock down sandcastles and fill in any holes, as turtles can potentially get trapped.
🚯 Stash the trash: Prevent entanglements and keep our state beautiful by cleaning up after yourself and others when available.
Remember, please keep your distance and report any sick, injured, entangled, or deceased sea turtles to our Wildlife Alert Hotline at 888-404-3922 📲
The Key West Aquarium is home to Spike, a loggerhead turtle rescued in 1999 after stranding in a marina in Key Largo. Spike is missing 3 flippers and has a crack in her beak, which prevents her from surviving in the wild. This doesn't slow her down at the aquarium! You can see Spike in the Atlantic Shores exhibit, napping in her favorite spot or cruising around the 50,000-gallon pool.
Join us for one of our daily tours to learn more about loggerheads and the species of sea turtles in our local waters.
Join us at the Key West Aquarium on June 16th for World Sea Turtle Day! We will be celebrating with Save-A-Turtle of the Florida Keys!
🔗 https://bit.ly/4oT1ri9
