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Loggerhead Sea Turtle 

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     When a young sea turtle emerges from the nest, they are immediately thrust upon a wild and chaotic scene full of other sea turtles scrambling to the water before they are picked up by predators. This experience can be dizzying and can be summed up very nicely in the photo to the left. Sea turtles hatch in large quantities to ensure the survival of at least a few. 

     Safety in numbers is the name of the game, and when you are scrambling down the beach trying to avoid seabirds, raccoons and coatis, getting to the water fast is of the upmost importance. However, even when a turtle makes it to the water, there are predators lurking in the surf as well looking for an easy meal. Because of all this adversity, less than 0.1% of hatchlings make it to adulthood. 

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     Sea turtles use the earths magnetic field to find the beaches they were born on to lay their eggs. They do this as an instinct through evolutionary process, if they survived hatching, chances are their offspring will likely survive as well. The East-coast of Florida is a popular area for loggerhead sea turtles to lay their eggs. It is also a popular spot for development for the tourist industry. Dunes are often cleared to make room for hotels and bars. As a result, the habitat that these animals rely on has gone through a drastic change, and now young turtles must facedown domestic pets, large holes dug by humans, pollution and even street lights that confuse young turtles as they head to the water. Additionally, climate change is affecting these young turtles by skewing their gender. Since the sex of turtles are determined by nest temperature, warmer temperatures mean that there are less males being born, making it harder for turtles to find each-other in the wild. 

Seven species on the seven seas

     All sea turtle species on earth are endangered due to very similar conservation challenges such as pollution, habitat loss, over-exploitation and climate change. Due to their importance in the ecosystem, Running Wild Media has been documenting sea turtles for years. Below are some additional educational pieces pertaining to wild sea turtles. 

     Hawksbill sea turtles are critical to the health of the coral reef ecosystem. This video explores hawksbill sea turtles along the coral reefs of Honduras through 360 degree video technology. Experience what it is like to swim with these reptiles in this exciting video by pressing play and moving your phone around.

Mickler's Landing Turtle Patrol 

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