Caretta Turtle in Northern Cyprus: Interesting Facts About the Island’s Most Famous Marine Resident

Caretta caretta, or the loggerhead sea turtle, is one of the two species of sea turtles that lay eggs on the beaches of Northern Cyprus every year. Adult individuals reach 1–1.5 m in length and can weigh from 70 to 200 kg. Northern Cyprus is considered one of the important nesting sites for this species in the Mediterranean Sea.

• Caretta caretta
• The Most Interesting Facts
• How Turtles Lay Eggs
• What Is Known About Male Caretta caretta
• Why Northern Cyprus Is Important for Turtles
• Frequently Asked Questions

Caretta Сaretta

Caretta caretta is a large sea turtle with a massive head and powerful jaws. It is precisely because of its large head that the species got its name. These turtles inhabit the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.

Their diet consists mainly of crabs, mollusks, sea urchins and other animals with hard shells. Thanks to its strong jaws, the turtle easily crushes the shells and carapaces of its prey.

The Most Interesting Facts About Caretta Сaretta

They Saw Dinosaurs

The ancestors of modern sea turtles appeared about 100 million years ago. This means that their distant relatives lived on Earth at the same time as the dinosaurs.

They Can Hold Their Breath for Several Hours

While resting, an adult turtle can stay underwater for up to 4–7 hours without surfacing.

Their Shell Is Sensitive to Touch

Many people think of the shell simply as “armor,” but it contains nerve endings. The turtle feels touch through its shell.

They Cry Not from Sadness

When coming ashore, it may seem that the turtle is crying. In fact, special glands remove excess salt from the body.

They Return to Their Native Beach Decades Later

A turtle can swim thousands of kilometers, spend decades in the sea, and return to lay eggs on almost the same beach where it was born, thanks to the following fact.

They Use Earth’s Magnetic Field as GPS

Caretta caretta uses Earth’s magnetic field as an internal map and compass. Scientists believe that even young turtles can memorize the magnetic “signatures” of different parts of the planet. Thanks to this navigation system, an adult female after 20–30 years of life at sea can return to almost the same beach where she was born.

The Sex of Future Turtles Depends on the Temperature of the Sand

Caretta caretta does not have a sex-determination mechanism similar to humans. Warmer sand produces more females, while cooler sand produces more males. In fact, the beach temperature affects the future population.

Their Powerful Head and Strong Jaws Allow Them to Crush Crab and Mollusk Shells

The strength of the jaws is so great that the turtle easily bites through crabs, mollusks and other animals with hard shells.

They Have “Lost Years”

After hatching, the baby turtles go out to sea and do not appear near the coast for a long time. Scientists call this little-studied period the “lost years”: young Caretta caretta can spend more than 10 years in the open ocean.

They Can Cross Entire Seas

Caretta caretta is capable of migrating thousands of kilometers between feeding grounds and nesting beaches. Some individuals cross almost the entire Mediterranean Sea.

They Mature Very Slowly

Sexual maturity is reached at approximately 17 to 33 years of age. By comparison, by that time a person has usually long since finished studying and is working.

They Live More Than Half a Century

The lifespan of Caretta caretta exceeds 50 years, and many individuals live significantly longer.

How Turtles Lay Eggs

Females come ashore exclusively at night and dig a nest in the sand. One clutch usually contains from 80 to 120 eggs.

During the season, one female can make several clutches. If there are 4–5 of them, the total number of eggs can exceed 400–500.

Incubation lasts approximately 45–60 days. After hatching, the baby turtles make their way out of the sand on their own and head for the sea.

A Turtle Can Dig Several False Nests in One Night

Before laying eggs, the female often digs several shallow holes in the sand. Scientists believe that in this way she can confuse predators and protect the real nest.

Why the Babies Run Toward the Light

In nature, baby turtles orient themselves toward the brightest horizon — usually the reflection of the moon and stars over the sea. That is why artificial lighting on beaches is considered one of the main threats to newborn turtles.

Parents Do Not Care for Their Offspring

After laying eggs, the female returns to the sea and no longer takes part in the lives of the hatchlings. From the first day, the baby turtles survive on their own.

Only a Few Survive to Adulthood

Most hatchlings become prey for birds, crabs, fish and other predators. Less than 1% of the offspring survive to adulthood.

What Is Known About Male Caretta Сareta

Males Almost Never Come Ashore

Unlike females, which return to the beaches to lay eggs, adult male Caretta caretta spend almost their entire lives at sea. After a male once goes into the water after birth, he may never come onto land again.

Less Is Known About Males Than About Females

Females are easier to study because they appear on the beaches during the nesting season. Males remain at sea, so they are harder to observe, and many aspects of their lives are still being studied.

Males Do Not Take Part in the Lives of Their Offspring

After mating, the male returns to his normal life at sea. He does not help build the nest, does not guard the clutch, and does not take part in the lives of the baby turtles.

One Male Can Father Hatchlings from Different Nests

During the mating season, a male can mate with several females. At the same time, one female can also store the sperm of several males, so one clutch sometimes contains hatchlings from different fathers.

Males Are Hard to Distinguish from Females Before Adulthood

In young Caretta caretta, external differences are hardly noticeable. The main sign of an adult male is a longer tail that extends beyond the edge of the shell.

A Male May Never Return to His Native Beach

Females return to the beaches to lay eggs, but males do not need to. Therefore, a male Caretta caretta can spend his entire adult life at sea and never see the place where he was born again.

Why Northern Cyprus Is Important for Turtles

Northern Cyprus is considered one of the most important nesting sites for Caretta caretta in the Mediterranean Sea. Every year, females return to the local beaches to leave a new generation of turtles.

That is why special protective measures are in place on many beaches during the nesting season. Visitors are advised not to use bright flashlights at night, not to touch nests, and not to disturb the turtles as they come ashore.

For Caretta caretta, the beaches of Northern Cyprus are not a tourist destination, but a place on which the survival of the species in the Mediterranean Sea depends.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which turtles nest in Northern Cyprus?

Two species lay eggs in Northern Cyprus: Caretta caretta and the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).

How many eggs does Caretta caretta lay?

Usually 80 to 120 eggs per clutch.

How many clutches does one female make?

During the season, one female can make from 2 to 5 clutches.

How long until the hatchlings appear?

Incubation usually takes from 45 to 60 days.

Why do turtles return to the same beach?

It is assumed that they use Earth’s magnetic field for navigation and remember the characteristics of their native coast.

Why shouldn’t you shine a flashlight on the beach?

Artificial light can disorient newborn hatchlings, which orient themselves by the bright horizon over the sea.