Sea Turtle Disorientations
Disorientations and Hazards to Sea Turtles
What are disorientations?
Disorientation events occur when artificial lighting on sea turtle nesting beaches disrupts the ability of nesting females and hatchlings to find the sea from the beach.
Disorientations from artificial lighting are a significant sea turtle conservation problem in Florida. Many local governments have adopted beachfront lighting ordinances to address this impact, but accurate, updated information on specific lighting impacts is needed for timely enforcement of these ordinances.
Adult Nesting Female Hazards
Nesting female sea turtles can be impacted by artificial lighting when choosing a nesting site or when returning to the sea. When choosing a nesting site, females may be deterred from areas that are too bright, which can cause them to select a less suitable location to lay their nests. If they do choose a beach with artificial lighting, they may abandon their nesting attempt, which results in a false crawl.
They can also become disoriented after they have nested and are attempting to return to the ocean. They often travel hundreds of yards in the wrong direction, ending up in parking lots, swimming pools, and on busy thoroughfares.
Hatchling Hazards
When hatchlings emerge from their nests at night, they rely on vision to help them find the water by distinguishing relative patterns of light and dark. Disorientation events are very harmful to hatchlings because the extra time spent crawling in the wrong direction depletes their small store of energy. Disoriented hatchlings are subject to dehydration, exhaustion, and predation by various beach-dwelling predators, all of which can be fatal.
Sometimes hatchlings crawl into the road where they are run over by cars. Even if disoriented hatchlings eventually reach the water, they may not have enough energy to avoid predators in the sea or for the long swim offshore . These events result in thousands of hatchling deaths each year.
Disorientation Data
Click on the PDF charts for disorientation data from 2013 to 2017 for each species, or follow the Disorientation Map action tab to view a map and summaries of recent disorientation reports throughout Florida's coastline.
- Loggerhead Disorientations 2013-2017.pdf
- Green Turtle Disorientations 2013-2017.pdf
- Leatherback Disorientations 2013-2017.pdf
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Grant
Sea Turtle Disorientation Data Collection and Management