TURTLE TRACKS: Sharks make the list for sea turtle predators, too

A female loggerhead whose left fin was destroyed in a shark attack leaving exposed bone, was treated for her injury on May 28, 2022 at the Miami Zoo’s new Sea Turtle Hospital in Miami, Florida. She had scars on her carapace that indicated a previous attack earlier in life officials reported. The hospital staff was able to stabilize the turtle after a seven-hour surgery. The loggerhead sea turtles that crawl up on our Island beaches to nest, must first battle and cross a shark line. Unfortunately, there are no local rehabilitation centers or hospitals for sea turtles in our immediate area and many will sustain lifelong and/or life threatening injuries. 

Turtle numbers from 

Gasparilla Island State Parks and Cayo Costa

Cayo Costa- 179 loggerhead NESTS, 

1 green nest

GISPs- 19 loggerhead NESTS,

1 green nest