When it comes to identifying animals by the tracks they leave behind most people don’t think of sea turtles.  But, when sea turtles come ashore to nest, each species leaves its own distinctive marks in the sand. 

Nesting season in Florida is between March and October.  A fun activity is to walk the beach in the early morning looking for turtle tracks and identifying which species of turtle made them.  There are many resources online but here is some info to get you started on the 3 most common species nesting on Florida’s shores – plus a little track identifying challenge you can do right now.  

This is a photo of a recent sea turtle crawl at Sebastian Inlet State Park. Which species made this track and which side shows going into the water and which is going out?