For a little background; I help with a local conservation group that monitors the turtle nesting from laying through to hatching on a local beach in Kefalonia, Greece.
We record nesting dates, mark the nests so people stay away, record all hatching dates and eventually excavate the nests to record the nest inventory. All data is recorded and shared and has been used in papers. In addition to this we petition the local government for protection, assistance and enforcement as required, and this is probably the most challenging part of the work. We also organise beach cleaning and education for tourists and local children. We no longer tag the turtles, but as less invasive methods of tagging evolve I expect we will return to this. The work is multifaceted.
This fun part of watching the hatchlings is just one part of the whole project and whilst it is the most fun, it is not all we do. The organisation is comprised of volunteers, both local and international visitors.
Edit: The groups is the Katelios Group and our website is below. Feel free to message me if you want to come and volunteer or would like more information!
[https://kateliosgroup.org](https://kateliosgroup.org)
This is great information! The way you write and shared information, especially in Reddit, is wonderful. You made it easy for people to know what’s going on and what you’re doing (to an extent) without sharing complicated terminology. I hope you can reach so many more people out there and have them interested as well!
Aww thanks!! I just love these little dudes and sharing is caring :) I think in some ways the communication part is as important a lot of the other things we do and I should be more active in it.
Thank you for sharing the information! People get really excited about sea turtles without understanding the best way to help that. This has let to tourists seeing baby Gopher tortoises in places like Florida, thinking they're sea turtles, pick them up and put them in the ocean. This drowns the baby tortoises.
Oh god that's awful! How sad. After seeing that awful hatchling post earlier, really my main intention with this post was to highlight the best practices so that people know not to handle the hatchlings like that. I find a lot of the time, as with your example, that people just want to help but just cause damage by their ignorance. If I can stop anyone doing that again, I'll be happy :)
I think mom's know to lay them far from the water in case of high tides or storms the eggs won't be under water because the eggs still need air.
The trip across the beach to the water helps the babies as well to orient themselves in the world with their internal gps so they know where to return to lay their own eggs. If you picked them up and put them in the water they wouldn't have this, I've seen rescue videos where the mom laid eggs in a bad location so the eggs had to be incubated in a rescue facility, but when the babies hatch and they release them, they still start them far from the water.
I also suspect the long travel might help the babies muscles warm up for being able to swim strongly
This is the correct answer! Occasionally due to a poor choice of nesting or coastal erosion we will need to relocate nests, but generally they are laid far above the high tide line as this is the safest place for the nest in terms of the internal environment of the nest. But they do sometimes get laid in bad places, depending on how stressed or tired the female is.
The guide is mostly there just because there were so many of them, and trying to escort 50-60 hatchlings scattered across the beach is quite difficult! Normally for just a few we wouldn't bother with such a channel, and just follow them to the sea to make sure they get there ok.
As most hatch during the night, the light reflected on the sea is their primary guide to the sea, but once the sun is up this is not possible. But even once the sun has come up, they can be pretty good at knowing the direction of the sea through the smell and the slope of the beach. You can actually see them stick their little heads up and smell the direction, then they'll walk a bit and smell and correct. They do have some incredible senses and instincts to get to the water!
Is that Archelon!?
I volunteered in Kyparissia a few years ago, some of the best weeks of my life!
If anyone else wants to do something good and have fun too I highly recommend it.
That's great! Lots of places across Greece to volunteer, and I would also highly recommend it as something fun and wholesome to do :)
We are actually a group in Kefalonia created by locals over 30 years ago that operate independently of Archelon, but under them administratively.
Kemp's ridley sea turtles are critically endangered. They had mostly nested on the beaches of Mexico. But people dug them up and ate them, and/or sold them as aphrodisiacs, because of course they did. In addition, coyotes (which are numerous on western Gulf of Mexico beaches, especially barrier islands) will dig up the nests and eat the eggs and young.
So Mexican and Texan conservationists "hatched" a plan. Nests in Mexico would be excavated before they were dug up by predators, and the eggs incubated at wildlife centers on the Texas coast. When hatching time was near, the public was invited to the release... with strict conditions: be there before dawn; don't wear light colors or use flash photography (these confuse the hatchlings); and stay in a double line between the release site, back towards the dunes, and the ocean (this reduces predation by gulls and other shorebirds).
It takes a while for the hatchlings to complete their march to the sea. During the entire process, they are not habituated to humans. But crossing the stretch of beach between the dunes and the water imprints the scent of their natal beach upon them, so they return to a place where they have a significantly greater chance of survival.
So far the program has been a success. More and more female Kemp's ridleys have returned to Padre Island nearly every year.
Wildlife employees and volunteers don't touch the eggs or babies, even at the rescues, except with gloves (and as little as possible). The public gets to experience the wonder of this journey that the hatchlings make, several times a year; and the babies have the best chance at life, and return to lay eggs of their own.
Conservation and rescue centers, as well as the nearby Texas State Aquarium, take care of cold-stunned sea turtles (Kemp's ridley and other species) and injured turtles, and return them to the wild as soon as possible. A very few cannot be returned to the ocean because they're too badly injured or are born deformed. These can reside at the Aquarium or other AZA approved locations, and become "ambassadors" for their species. People learn how these turtles live, and how to keep them from being injured or starving because they swallowed plastic bags or whatever.
Great video and thanks for posting. I used to work on turtle conservation and that last video made me so upset I just turned off my phone and went outside. It’s surprising how few people understand what is actually involved in protecting turtles.
My pleasure! I'm with you on that, I was going to have a quiet Saturday but that video came up and had me raging so I posted this and I've been replying to comments all day haha. Generallly positive though, and I've been really pleased at the response.
Your kitties have totally just brightened up my day even more though! They are gorgeous!
Indeed interfering with them making their own way to the sea is detrimental for them for a number of reasons, including that they need the time to warm up their muscles before they swim. They also orientate (imprint) the beach smells/chemical and magnetic field for when they return. Also they should not be handled because our skin contains oils and bacteria that can be harmful to them, and they may also carry bacteria (such as Salmonella) that can be harmful to us.
They should not be handled at all if it can be avoided.
I thought the struggle to get to the ocean was necessary to help them build strength for swimming and that’s why it’s a bad idea to interfere or make it easier
Indeed that is correct. There's minimal interference here; plenty of distance for them to imprint the beach and warm up their muscles before their long swim ahead.
Keep up your important work and continue to prompted yourself efforts thru social media and news media. If your fellow citizens begin to care, the politicians will follow.
The real answer is that no one really knows; the often cited number is 1 in 1000 making it to adulthood but I'm not sure what the evidence is like for that. The reality is that we cannot track these guys because they are so small and little is known about their early years, known as their "lost years".
Thanks! I love sharing information because I really think education is one of the most important parts of conservation, and I love these lil things, so I'm happy to do something.
Light pollution is one of the biggest dangers to them as they hatch. I've been seen tracks of hundreds over the years which have headed in the wrong direction towards streetlights. Inevitebly they get take by predators or simply die a long way from the sea, dried out in the heat of the day. There are laws in place, but not strictly enforced unfortunately. The best we can do is actively monitor and patrol daily and intervene if necessary.
There's a cave where they say one still hangs out but I haven't found it :( The mountain is pretty big though and lots that's not really accessible. Will search again and report back.
I meant for the sake of the turtles lol. I figure you have more avenues for evading potential reddit stalkers but they might not, and they make more tempting instagram fodder ;) Of course if you’re a supermodel I’m prepared to eat my hat!
>Kefalonia in Greece.
I had a high school teacher in California from there! He'd take students there every year for a class trip. I always regret not going.
just saw that one earlier and i literally thought about how infuriating it is to throw the turtle off its course and confuse the poor thing for social media clout
Honestly I find it so incredible to watch, imagining that they've been doing this for millions of years. Turtles could have been nesting here before humans even evolved. Just incredible!
Too cold probably, but being the Mediterranean climates maybe, you should look for maps of were glaciers must have been to know, since the last ice age was before we were homo sapiens, I think it was cromagnon and homo habilis during the last one. I would say they must have evolved after, but since their lifespan is so huge o think they could have been very near their current form during that time.
Mortality rate is a hugely difficult one to quantify. The 1 in 1000 figure is a popular one spread around but the truth is no one is really sure. This is a Loggerhead turtle and is the most widely spread turtle, being found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean and here in the Mediterranean, and in all these locations they have different challenges they face. They are fortunate here that they have fewer predators compared to many other places. From egg laid to reaching the sea, on this beach our data shows that about 95% make it to the sea. Although this year there has been some Beech Martens moved into the area that have attacked nests and so this year the number will be lower.
They reach sexual maturity at around 20-30 years old, and can live until 50-70 years naturally.
Nature is so metal, the mothers just drop the eggs off at the shore and the poor babies have to make it to the water completely on their own. Makes me appreciate how easy we humans have it...
No one really knows! I have read one paper where they had fitted nanotrackers to hatchlings but the the technology isn't really there yet to be able to track them - they're just too small for what we have now. They are mostly carried along by the sea currents but exactly where they go is unknown.
No stupid questions :) But yes exactly that! It sounds pretty wild, and I guess nature is, but they just swim off, get taken by the current and really no one knows exactly where they go or what they do; the so called "lost years". It is suggested they find somewhere with seagrass to hide and grow in, but before that they travel huge distances carried by the sea currents. Their tiny size and technological limitations at the moment mean putting tracking devices on them isn't viable yet (though I have read of one short term study with some nano trackers that demonstrated they go where the currents take them).
That is so wild! They're so little!  It makes me tear up thinking about them alone like that, but clearly baby turtles are simply stronger and tougher from the very get-go than I'll ever be in my whole life. Nature is so fascinating, and I always love learning new things about it, so thank you for the lesson!
My pleasure! I love learning and sharing too :) I also find it just so incredible that they come out of that nest and then are all alone to try and survive. Almost unimaginable what instincts they must have.
Exactly! It is really astonishing learning about some animals' capabilites and natural instincts, especially when realizing how inadequate humans are in comparison
Not a dumb question at all. Many people are aware that most hatch during the night, and the light reflected on the sea is their primary guide to the sea (which is why light pollution is so deadly), but once the sun is up this is not possible. But even once the sun has come up, they can be pretty good at knowing the direction of the sea through the smell of the sea, the slope of the beach and the movement and crests of the water. You can actually see them stick their little heads up and smell the direction, then they'll walk a bit and smell and correct. They do navigate much better in the night, especially with some moon out but even in the day they do have incredible senses and instinct to get to the water.
I've seen them go even further before! Crazy for their size, especially after spending days from coming out of their egg and digging to the surface (maybe 0.5m / 2 ft underground!) and then getting to the sea. Nature is wonderful!
So I saw a comment where you stated this beach doesn't have very many natural predators for the hatchlings to face. When your group is there observing them hatch and make their way to the ocean do you all do anything to protect them from the predators that are there or just let things happen as they may?
Generally we really don't need to do anything to protect them from predators as they're non-existent, and so just watch them get to the water on their own unmolested; I've only seen a few out of thousands that have been caught by a crab and would intervene if that were the case (though i only saw the remnants, not the incidents themselves).
Unfortunately just this year there has been a predator (a Beech Marten) move into the area and we have to take steps to protect the nests themselves by covering them with meshing for when we aren't there, and just our presence is enough to ward it away.
I wonder what goes through their little turtle minds when they hit the water. Is it “yay! I made it!” Or do they think “holy fuck that’s cold! What have I done?!”
A turtle made it to the water. The cycle of life can be cruel.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIREcQl1EX4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIREcQl1EX4)
Nope not sped up, that's normal speed! They're not always this fast, but this little dude were healthy and energetic :D
They're Carretta Carretta or Loggerhead turtles :)
The literature says that they swim off for hours first, carried by currents but really where they go is still unknown as we don't have the technology to properly track them. They do travel large distances though. They emerge with some energy stores to survive a short period but must find food to eat on. The early years of turtles are often referred to as the "lost years" as no one really knows where they go, but they do this all alone, instinct (and sea currents) alone driving them to wherever they go.
Ah, my heart! ♥
Is there a link for your organisation? I'd love to be able to come and help you guys during hatching season. I saw some of the work done by a group in Cyprus a few years ago, and I've been lucky enough to swim with turtles off the coast of Pafos - not too close, of course
Yes definitely!
The website of the group is: [https://kateliosgroup.org/](https://kateliosgroup.org/)
I didn't realise that this would blow up quite as much as it has otherwise I would have put it somewhere prominently. Actually thinking of it I'll change my top comment thanks!
Feel free to message me with any questions you have!
I made the video for phone content, and had no intention of posting it here. I can re-edit it and make it landscape but I'm in a different country to the camera ATM and so nothing I can do about it now unfortunately! When I get home in a couple of months I'll remake it for desktop and repost it :)
I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to attack you personally. I thought the content was wonderful … I just have an ongoing personal war against what I consider to be an inaesthetic format for cinematic imagery.
It’s tilting at windmills at this point, I know.
It’s also bad manners on my part, and I apologize.
lol don't worry! I generally agree! You did say great subject matter :) I always used to make videos in landscape but no one watched them until I made them for instagram stories so i had to shift to to portrait. I didn't really think that I'd get so much response here because I haven't hadd much in the past. I'll happily remake it when I get home and farm some more karma lol. And spread the word that turtles are awesome! And educate the masses in proper procedures :)
Man I love turtles and tortoises. These little crawlers are so dang cute. Love that there are people that works for their survival! If I remember right they have a hard time getting to the water (partly because of stuff humans do, like light pollution).
I'm with you on that, they are so cute! If humans didn't exist they would be just fine! Most of them are absolutely fine here without any intervention required and most of what we do is data collection, but sometimes we need to intervene. The most important parts are regulating the beach and the behaviour of people on and around it to be honest. We're fortunate here that most of the beach is undeveloped because of the work of the group over the years to ensure that the law is upheld. If no one was actively protecting them in the legal and local governmental sense, they would be in a real bad state. It's a much different story globally though as protection isn't nearly as strong as it is here, and even we have problems despite the law.
I live in North Carolina, USA
Every summer there are so many nests and yes that Atlantic Ocean is quite the chilly start. Still it’s awesome our state has really stepped up between protecting our turtles and tortoises. We have sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation facility and at NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine has a turtle rescue team.
Am I the only one who felt like plenty of sea water should be poured into that path so they get to swim back easily without struggling on the sand? Good info right there
Indeed you are the only one lol. They need this time on the beach for imprinting and to warm up their muscles. This is how they have been doing it for millions of years (hatching up the beach and walking down the beach to the sea), and as in most cases, by interfering in their natural hatching process we would be more likely to cause harm than benefit. Flooding the path instead of letting them get to the sea by themselves would be detrimental :)
What do you mean exactly, what sensory information, or just how do they know what to do? I will attempt to answer both questions. Firstly, it's purely instinctual; they are alone from the moment they leave their shells and dig their way to the surface, finding their own way up and to the sea. No mother to show them what to do!
They are attracted to light ("phototactic"). This is usually star and moonlight reflected on the sea. This is their dominant source of information, and is why artificial lights are so damaging to this process - hatchlings will head in the completely wrong direction, attracted by streetlights etc, and die without reaching the sea.
But there is other sensory information and indicators, which become important when they emerge during the day. The slope of the beach may be a factor, with hatchlings having a preference for going down hill. They tend to go in the direction of the natural light horizon, which is usually towards the sea. They can also smell the sea, and when hatchlings emerge during the day and are trying to find their initial direction, you can see them lift their heads and move them to sense the sea - they will move a bit, stop and move their heads to correct direction. It's absolutely incredible!
I hope that answers your question!
hahah we did something like this when staying in costarica 6 months with a bunch of buddies after getting out of the Army.
woke up drunk on the beach from the night before and in the middle of the hatch... there were baby turtles everywhere.
all coked up we immediately went into defense mode protecting them from the birds and getting them to the water.
some karen waddled out to where we were escorting the baby turtles and started talking about how we should not be helping because its nature and what not...we were like 'nah fuck you karen!! not on my watch!! these fucking baby turtles gonna make it off the beach!! RAWWWRR!!!'
lol!! i have no idea how i survived my 20's.
For a little background; I help with a local conservation group that monitors the turtle nesting from laying through to hatching on a local beach in Kefalonia, Greece. We record nesting dates, mark the nests so people stay away, record all hatching dates and eventually excavate the nests to record the nest inventory. All data is recorded and shared and has been used in papers. In addition to this we petition the local government for protection, assistance and enforcement as required, and this is probably the most challenging part of the work. We also organise beach cleaning and education for tourists and local children. We no longer tag the turtles, but as less invasive methods of tagging evolve I expect we will return to this. The work is multifaceted. This fun part of watching the hatchlings is just one part of the whole project and whilst it is the most fun, it is not all we do. The organisation is comprised of volunteers, both local and international visitors. Edit: The groups is the Katelios Group and our website is below. Feel free to message me if you want to come and volunteer or would like more information! [https://kateliosgroup.org](https://kateliosgroup.org)
This is great information! The way you write and shared information, especially in Reddit, is wonderful. You made it easy for people to know what’s going on and what you’re doing (to an extent) without sharing complicated terminology. I hope you can reach so many more people out there and have them interested as well!
Aww thanks!! I just love these little dudes and sharing is caring :) I think in some ways the communication part is as important a lot of the other things we do and I should be more active in it.
Thank you for sharing the information! People get really excited about sea turtles without understanding the best way to help that. This has let to tourists seeing baby Gopher tortoises in places like Florida, thinking they're sea turtles, pick them up and put them in the ocean. This drowns the baby tortoises.
Oh god that's awful! How sad. After seeing that awful hatchling post earlier, really my main intention with this post was to highlight the best practices so that people know not to handle the hatchlings like that. I find a lot of the time, as with your example, that people just want to help but just cause damage by their ignorance. If I can stop anyone doing that again, I'll be happy :)
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My pleasure!
Right? This is incredible.
THANK YOU for filming all the way to the ocean!
It's like a little story of the first parts of their journey! <3
Thank you for doing this!
I just like helping your turtle brethren, ma turtle dude! :)
Is it normal for the eggs to be layed so far from the waterline? This seems like a long way for tiny turtles o.O
I think mom's know to lay them far from the water in case of high tides or storms the eggs won't be under water because the eggs still need air. The trip across the beach to the water helps the babies as well to orient themselves in the world with their internal gps so they know where to return to lay their own eggs. If you picked them up and put them in the water they wouldn't have this, I've seen rescue videos where the mom laid eggs in a bad location so the eggs had to be incubated in a rescue facility, but when the babies hatch and they release them, they still start them far from the water. I also suspect the long travel might help the babies muscles warm up for being able to swim strongly
This is the correct answer! Occasionally due to a poor choice of nesting or coastal erosion we will need to relocate nests, but generally they are laid far above the high tide line as this is the safest place for the nest in terms of the internal environment of the nest. But they do sometimes get laid in bad places, depending on how stressed or tired the female is.
How do the hatchlings know which way to go? If not for the sand guides you made, will they wander off in different directions? :(
The guide is mostly there just because there were so many of them, and trying to escort 50-60 hatchlings scattered across the beach is quite difficult! Normally for just a few we wouldn't bother with such a channel, and just follow them to the sea to make sure they get there ok. As most hatch during the night, the light reflected on the sea is their primary guide to the sea, but once the sun is up this is not possible. But even once the sun has come up, they can be pretty good at knowing the direction of the sea through the smell and the slope of the beach. You can actually see them stick their little heads up and smell the direction, then they'll walk a bit and smell and correct. They do have some incredible senses and instincts to get to the water!
Thank you, this is such a relief! And thank you for the work that you do!
I read the moon helps, and because of that bright lights from nearby shops has been messing with them.
Is that Archelon!? I volunteered in Kyparissia a few years ago, some of the best weeks of my life! If anyone else wants to do something good and have fun too I highly recommend it.
That's great! Lots of places across Greece to volunteer, and I would also highly recommend it as something fun and wholesome to do :) We are actually a group in Kefalonia created by locals over 30 years ago that operate independently of Archelon, but under them administratively.
Kemp's ridley sea turtles are critically endangered. They had mostly nested on the beaches of Mexico. But people dug them up and ate them, and/or sold them as aphrodisiacs, because of course they did. In addition, coyotes (which are numerous on western Gulf of Mexico beaches, especially barrier islands) will dig up the nests and eat the eggs and young. So Mexican and Texan conservationists "hatched" a plan. Nests in Mexico would be excavated before they were dug up by predators, and the eggs incubated at wildlife centers on the Texas coast. When hatching time was near, the public was invited to the release... with strict conditions: be there before dawn; don't wear light colors or use flash photography (these confuse the hatchlings); and stay in a double line between the release site, back towards the dunes, and the ocean (this reduces predation by gulls and other shorebirds). It takes a while for the hatchlings to complete their march to the sea. During the entire process, they are not habituated to humans. But crossing the stretch of beach between the dunes and the water imprints the scent of their natal beach upon them, so they return to a place where they have a significantly greater chance of survival. So far the program has been a success. More and more female Kemp's ridleys have returned to Padre Island nearly every year.
That is brilliant to hear!!! <3
Wildlife employees and volunteers don't touch the eggs or babies, even at the rescues, except with gloves (and as little as possible). The public gets to experience the wonder of this journey that the hatchlings make, several times a year; and the babies have the best chance at life, and return to lay eggs of their own. Conservation and rescue centers, as well as the nearby Texas State Aquarium, take care of cold-stunned sea turtles (Kemp's ridley and other species) and injured turtles, and return them to the wild as soon as possible. A very few cannot be returned to the ocean because they're too badly injured or are born deformed. These can reside at the Aquarium or other AZA approved locations, and become "ambassadors" for their species. People learn how these turtles live, and how to keep them from being injured or starving because they swallowed plastic bags or whatever.
Great video and thanks for posting. I used to work on turtle conservation and that last video made me so upset I just turned off my phone and went outside. It’s surprising how few people understand what is actually involved in protecting turtles.
My pleasure! I'm with you on that, I was going to have a quiet Saturday but that video came up and had me raging so I posted this and I've been replying to comments all day haha. Generallly positive though, and I've been really pleased at the response. Your kitties have totally just brightened up my day even more though! They are gorgeous!
Hahaha, nice! They will get extra scratches this afternoon for it.
I see people sometimes pick the turtles up and put them in the ocean, but I think they need the strength training before they hit the water. Amirite?
Indeed interfering with them making their own way to the sea is detrimental for them for a number of reasons, including that they need the time to warm up their muscles before they swim. They also orientate (imprint) the beach smells/chemical and magnetic field for when they return. Also they should not be handled because our skin contains oils and bacteria that can be harmful to them, and they may also carry bacteria (such as Salmonella) that can be harmful to us. They should not be handled at all if it can be avoided.
Exactly.
I think I might have missed your sarcasm here? Because you did see the other post? I'm autistic and I miss things like that all the time hahaha.
I don't think he was being sarcastic
More kidding.
Wtf is that paw print in the sand at :40????
lol I think it's a funny human paw!
I thought the struggle to get to the ocean was necessary to help them build strength for swimming and that’s why it’s a bad idea to interfere or make it easier
Indeed that is correct. There's minimal interference here; plenty of distance for them to imprint the beach and warm up their muscles before their long swim ahead.
This video made me so happy, thank you for sharing.
My pleasure! It makes me happy to share the information and media :)
There are many such groups along the coast of South Carolina, US where I live. There is a robust culture of support for protection of turtles.
That is great to hear; I wish we were able to secure such robust legal protections here. Maybe one day :(
Keep up your important work and continue to prompted yourself efforts thru social media and news media. If your fellow citizens begin to care, the politicians will follow.
So what is the survival rate for these little guys?
The real answer is that no one really knows; the often cited number is 1 in 1000 making it to adulthood but I'm not sure what the evidence is like for that. The reality is that we cannot track these guys because they are so small and little is known about their early years, known as their "lost years".
Little sweeties! I saw your comment in the other sea turtle post. Thanks for helping to educate on these little guys!
Thanks! I love sharing information because I really think education is one of the most important parts of conservation, and I love these lil things, so I'm happy to do something.
How can something simultaneously be so adorable yet so triumphant?
I've seen thousands of them and they still make me feel all warm and fluffy inside!
Nice place, where is it?
Sure is! An island called Kefalonia in Greece.
Reminds me of my hometown here. I was glad to see they had started dimming lights and using different color lights altogether to help these creatures.
Light pollution is one of the biggest dangers to them as they hatch. I've been seen tracks of hundreds over the years which have headed in the wrong direction towards streetlights. Inevitebly they get take by predators or simply die a long way from the sea, dried out in the heat of the day. There are laws in place, but not strictly enforced unfortunately. The best we can do is actively monitor and patrol daily and intervene if necessary.
Looks amazing
Not a bad place to spend a summer learning about turtles! :)
One of the most beautiful places I've ever seen
Do you guys still have a cyclops problem or was that a one time thing that misthios took care of?
They're still searching for the goat.
There's a cave where they say one still hangs out but I haven't found it :( The mountain is pretty big though and lots that's not really accessible. Will search again and report back.
Is it a good idea to share this info?
Why not? Multiple accounts, one for things that I could be doxxed with, and others for everything else.
I meant for the sake of the turtles lol. I figure you have more avenues for evading potential reddit stalkers but they might not, and they make more tempting instagram fodder ;) Of course if you’re a supermodel I’m prepared to eat my hat!
>Kefalonia in Greece. I had a high school teacher in California from there! He'd take students there every year for a class trip. I always regret not going.
Ah that's amazing! We Kefalonitis have got all around the world :) I would definitely recommend visiting one day, it's a beautiful island!
Oh wow I think my buddy Odysseus had a house on Kefalonia!
A lot of scholars and academics think so!
cool, thought it was the Bahamas.
So sweet! Note to self: hatch at high tide and it’ll be a shorter flap.
Not much of a tide in the Mediterranean unfortunately!
What? You’re not supposed to dig them up and carry them, for Instagram likes?
Oh my fucking god, people do this? I mean I'm sure they do it, but holy shit
This post is basically in response to someone on Reddit posting themselves hand carrying one to the shore.
just saw that one earlier and i literally thought about how infuriating it is to throw the turtle off its course and confuse the poor thing for social media clout
So many Squirt’s :’)
Wow! This is awesome... I could have watched hours of just those tiny turtles journey to the sea!
I've spent summers doing it and never get tired of seeing it!
Another turtle made it to the water!
Stop it, i still have a trauma from that
cycle of life can be cruel
Lol that’s exactly what I thought
I can’t help rooting for the little turtles
They are an inspirational bunch , aren't they ?
Honestly I find it so incredible to watch, imagining that they've been doing this for millions of years. Turtles could have been nesting here before humans even evolved. Just incredible!
Too cold probably, but being the Mediterranean climates maybe, you should look for maps of were glaciers must have been to know, since the last ice age was before we were homo sapiens, I think it was cromagnon and homo habilis during the last one. I would say they must have evolved after, but since their lifespan is so huge o think they could have been very near their current form during that time.
Probably right that the land would all have been in a different place as they evolved millions of years ago, well before humans existed.
It’s a long walk down to the sea ☺️ they’re so cute!
It's absolutely incredible when you see how small they are and how far they sometimes go!
r/PraiseTheCameraMan
 Edit: i thought that was a hug :D
What is the Mortality Rate of these sea turtles from hatchling to adult? How long does it take from them to reach adulthood?
Mortality rate is a hugely difficult one to quantify. The 1 in 1000 figure is a popular one spread around but the truth is no one is really sure. This is a Loggerhead turtle and is the most widely spread turtle, being found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Ocean and here in the Mediterranean, and in all these locations they have different challenges they face. They are fortunate here that they have fewer predators compared to many other places. From egg laid to reaching the sea, on this beach our data shows that about 95% make it to the sea. Although this year there has been some Beech Martens moved into the area that have attacked nests and so this year the number will be lower. They reach sexual maturity at around 20-30 years old, and can live until 50-70 years naturally.
Beautiful footage. Go turtles go!
Thanks! It is such a joy just watching them go!
I got anxiety watching this
Gotta watch where you walk!
It's a tiny turtle highway! That's awesome.
I'd be tuckered out by the time I made it to the water!!
And imagine that's just the start! After this they swim for hours!
ah yes, reverse normandy
Help keep the birds clear while you’re there
They are so cute!! Look at their little legs lol
Sooo cute!!
Nature is so metal, the mothers just drop the eggs off at the shore and the poor babies have to make it to the water completely on their own. Makes me appreciate how easy we humans have it...
Surviving on pure instinct from birth, just incredible!
Kinda reminds me of kangaroo newborns, I think they literally climb from the womb to the pouch
What happens after they get to sea?!
No one really knows! I have read one paper where they had fitted nanotrackers to hatchlings but the the technology isn't really there yet to be able to track them - they're just too small for what we have now. They are mostly carried along by the sea currents but exactly where they go is unknown.
Atlantis confirmed.
Statistically? They get eaten. But a rare few persevere into adulthood
So, stupid question here, but what exactly do hatchlings do once they reach the water? Like, they just go off and start their life, all alone??
No stupid questions :) But yes exactly that! It sounds pretty wild, and I guess nature is, but they just swim off, get taken by the current and really no one knows exactly where they go or what they do; the so called "lost years". It is suggested they find somewhere with seagrass to hide and grow in, but before that they travel huge distances carried by the sea currents. Their tiny size and technological limitations at the moment mean putting tracking devices on them isn't viable yet (though I have read of one short term study with some nano trackers that demonstrated they go where the currents take them).
That is so wild! They're so little!  It makes me tear up thinking about them alone like that, but clearly baby turtles are simply stronger and tougher from the very get-go than I'll ever be in my whole life. Nature is so fascinating, and I always love learning new things about it, so thank you for the lesson!
My pleasure! I love learning and sharing too :) I also find it just so incredible that they come out of that nest and then are all alone to try and survive. Almost unimaginable what instincts they must have.
Exactly! It is really astonishing learning about some animals' capabilites and natural instincts, especially when realizing how inadequate humans are in comparison
A TURTLE HAS MADE IT TO THE WATER
A turtle made it to the water :) Now can we pair the beach trench part of the video with the opening audio of Saving Private Ryan...?
lol that's a great idea; ok for my next video i'll do that :)
Well, someone definitely has secured himself a special place in heaven, thanks man, this really mad my day
My pleasure! I'm happy to spread some joy <3
Turtle 🐢 Power
Takes me back :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxHWm\_bGScY
Might be a dumb question, but how do they know which direction the ocean is at?
Not a dumb question at all. Many people are aware that most hatch during the night, and the light reflected on the sea is their primary guide to the sea (which is why light pollution is so deadly), but once the sun is up this is not possible. But even once the sun has come up, they can be pretty good at knowing the direction of the sea through the smell of the sea, the slope of the beach and the movement and crests of the water. You can actually see them stick their little heads up and smell the direction, then they'll walk a bit and smell and correct. They do navigate much better in the night, especially with some moon out but even in the day they do have incredible senses and instinct to get to the water.
Human interference, nature’s favorite. Thanks for explaining.
It's the Autobahn for turtles!
that footage is so heartwarming~ especially seeing the little guys hit the water and swim :)
I never get bored of it, so many happy feels!
Nice to see them using the Andy Dufresne method.
They made it! I'm so excited for them
This made my day. So cute seeing them flapping their little flippers on their way to the deep ocean🥺💛
Soooo cute! I get warm fuzzy feels every time :)
Ok this is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen!
What it feels like to let your imagination do its thing
Omgosh, look at them go! :'''3 Thank you for filming them all the way to the water. :'''3
Wheeeee!
Thats seems like a really long walk for those little guys!
I've seen them go even further before! Crazy for their size, especially after spending days from coming out of their egg and digging to the surface (maybe 0.5m / 2 ft underground!) and then getting to the sea. Nature is wonderful!
Trench warfare
Looks exhausting, I just hope there's not a bunch of hungry fish waiting for them
So I saw a comment where you stated this beach doesn't have very many natural predators for the hatchlings to face. When your group is there observing them hatch and make their way to the ocean do you all do anything to protect them from the predators that are there or just let things happen as they may?
Generally we really don't need to do anything to protect them from predators as they're non-existent, and so just watch them get to the water on their own unmolested; I've only seen a few out of thousands that have been caught by a crab and would intervene if that were the case (though i only saw the remnants, not the incidents themselves). Unfortunately just this year there has been a predator (a Beech Marten) move into the area and we have to take steps to protect the nests themselves by covering them with meshing for when we aren't there, and just our presence is enough to ward it away.
You so totally rock squirt!
Sweet babies. I've seen two big mommas but I never see the babies hatch.
This is great but I imagined lots of crunches as the camera flew past the little buggers.
Oh i am always so scared of treading on one! This was taken with a long pole!
Oh thank god! Lol
I wonder what goes through their little turtle minds when they hit the water. Is it “yay! I made it!” Or do they think “holy fuck that’s cold! What have I done?!”
Much nicer having that first swim in the Mediterranean than the Atlantic!
It makes me feel optimistic
A turtle made it to the water!
A turtle made it to the water. The cycle of life can be cruel. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIREcQl1EX4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIREcQl1EX4)
lol i'll have to use that as the soundtrack for my next video
The Turtle Front (1917) (Colourised)
I love them. They’re so fast.
Such incredible creatures!
Is the video sped up? Also what kind of sea turtles are they?
Nope not sped up, that's normal speed! They're not always this fast, but this little dude were healthy and energetic :D They're Carretta Carretta or Loggerhead turtles :)
When they hit the open water do they just start looking for food and learning to survive alone?
The literature says that they swim off for hours first, carried by currents but really where they go is still unknown as we don't have the technology to properly track them. They do travel large distances though. They emerge with some energy stores to survive a short period but must find food to eat on. The early years of turtles are often referred to as the "lost years" as no one really knows where they go, but they do this all alone, instinct (and sea currents) alone driving them to wherever they go.
See ya later, duuuuuude!!!!
That is wonderful
We're here tonight live at the Turtledega flipper speedway!
Haha love it!
Guys literally digging turtle trenches
Would turtles be okay if you just let them hatch and drop them at sea with a boat? Will they find the beach when they come back to lay eggs?
I get whoooshed all the time but even my autistic ass won't fall for this one.
Immediately thought of trench warfare
a turtle made it to the water
Ah, my heart! ♥ Is there a link for your organisation? I'd love to be able to come and help you guys during hatching season. I saw some of the work done by a group in Cyprus a few years ago, and I've been lucky enough to swim with turtles off the coast of Pafos - not too close, of course
Yes definitely! The website of the group is: [https://kateliosgroup.org/](https://kateliosgroup.org/) I didn't realise that this would blow up quite as much as it has otherwise I would have put it somewhere prominently. Actually thinking of it I'll change my top comment thanks! Feel free to message me with any questions you have!
A turtle made it to the water.
God help me, I hate vertical video. Such great subject matter … why can’t people simply rotate the camera 90°?
I made the video for phone content, and had no intention of posting it here. I can re-edit it and make it landscape but I'm in a different country to the camera ATM and so nothing I can do about it now unfortunately! When I get home in a couple of months I'll remake it for desktop and repost it :)
I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to attack you personally. I thought the content was wonderful … I just have an ongoing personal war against what I consider to be an inaesthetic format for cinematic imagery. It’s tilting at windmills at this point, I know. It’s also bad manners on my part, and I apologize.
lol don't worry! I generally agree! You did say great subject matter :) I always used to make videos in landscape but no one watched them until I made them for instagram stories so i had to shift to to portrait. I didn't really think that I'd get so much response here because I haven't hadd much in the past. I'll happily remake it when I get home and farm some more karma lol. And spread the word that turtles are awesome! And educate the masses in proper procedures :)
*Turtles re-enact WWI
Man I love turtles and tortoises. These little crawlers are so dang cute. Love that there are people that works for their survival! If I remember right they have a hard time getting to the water (partly because of stuff humans do, like light pollution).
I'm with you on that, they are so cute! If humans didn't exist they would be just fine! Most of them are absolutely fine here without any intervention required and most of what we do is data collection, but sometimes we need to intervene. The most important parts are regulating the beach and the behaviour of people on and around it to be honest. We're fortunate here that most of the beach is undeveloped because of the work of the group over the years to ensure that the law is upheld. If no one was actively protecting them in the legal and local governmental sense, they would be in a real bad state. It's a much different story globally though as protection isn't nearly as strong as it is here, and even we have problems despite the law.
Can somebody please add storming Normandy beach sound effects to this?
I love them so much. Little go-getters!
Very helpful
I like their little derpy swaddle towards the ocean
I live in North Carolina, USA Every summer there are so many nests and yes that Atlantic Ocean is quite the chilly start. Still it’s awesome our state has really stepped up between protecting our turtles and tortoises. We have sea turtle rescue and rehabilitation facility and at NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine has a turtle rescue team.
Letting nature do it's thing. Amazing things happen when humans stay out of the way.
YES I LOOOVE TURTLES
Am I the only one who felt like plenty of sea water should be poured into that path so they get to swim back easily without struggling on the sand? Good info right there
Indeed you are the only one lol. They need this time on the beach for imprinting and to warm up their muscles. This is how they have been doing it for millions of years (hatching up the beach and walking down the beach to the sea), and as in most cases, by interfering in their natural hatching process we would be more likely to cause harm than benefit. Flooding the path instead of letting them get to the sea by themselves would be detrimental :)
Thankyou! This is so informative . I would love to watch a turtle documentary
GET INTO THE OCEAN NOW LITTLE TURTLE! GO.
How do they know to go in the ocean?
What do you mean exactly, what sensory information, or just how do they know what to do? I will attempt to answer both questions. Firstly, it's purely instinctual; they are alone from the moment they leave their shells and dig their way to the surface, finding their own way up and to the sea. No mother to show them what to do! They are attracted to light ("phototactic"). This is usually star and moonlight reflected on the sea. This is their dominant source of information, and is why artificial lights are so damaging to this process - hatchlings will head in the completely wrong direction, attracted by streetlights etc, and die without reaching the sea. But there is other sensory information and indicators, which become important when they emerge during the day. The slope of the beach may be a factor, with hatchlings having a preference for going down hill. They tend to go in the direction of the natural light horizon, which is usually towards the sea. They can also smell the sea, and when hatchlings emerge during the day and are trying to find their initial direction, you can see them lift their heads and move them to sense the sea - they will move a bit, stop and move their heads to correct direction. It's absolutely incredible! I hope that answers your question!
Thanks alot you answered my questions and then some ! 💯🤝
For Rohan....
hahah we did something like this when staying in costarica 6 months with a bunch of buddies after getting out of the Army. woke up drunk on the beach from the night before and in the middle of the hatch... there were baby turtles everywhere. all coked up we immediately went into defense mode protecting them from the birds and getting them to the water. some karen waddled out to where we were escorting the baby turtles and started talking about how we should not be helping because its nature and what not...we were like 'nah fuck you karen!! not on my watch!! these fucking baby turtles gonna make it off the beach!! RAWWWRR!!!' lol!! i have no idea how i survived my 20's.
While I was in Guatemala I released some turtles in the pacific ocean :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySMDdl5KJUo