Surfacing, sunning, and surfing

 

 

A few more photos of honu, or Green Sea Turtles (Chelonias mydas), from Hawai'i for you.

Above, two photographed in the Honolulu area.  These turtles were only at the surface for brief periods.  Most of the time they were under water, perhaps feeding near the bottom?

Below, two photographed on Kaui'i.  One resting on the beach, and another riding a wave:

 

 

 

 

With aloha

Honu and he’e

Honu, or Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) photographed while snorkeling in Kaua’i on 1 April 2024.

Not only did Eric get lucky with a sea turtle today, he also photographed a beautiful he’e, or an octopus.  We’re not 100% sure, but it might be he’e mauli, or a Day Octopus (Octopus cyanea). Here’s a broad view showing the he’e under a ledge and an amazing close-up, highlighting the eye and the siphon:

With many thanks to honu and he’e, and to Eric for sharing such great photos!

Rare reptile sighting

  

Last weekend, Jane kindly let us know that she had encountered a dead sea turtle on Salmon Creek Beach.  From the photo it appeared to be a Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta), and this identification was confirmed by staff at the California Academy of Sciences.  Sea turtles are rare this far north, so it was valuable to document the occurrence of this species in Bodega Bay.

Many thanks to Jane for the photos and to Moe at Cal Academy for the confirmation.

P.S. For more information about Loggerhead Turtles, check out this helpful web page put together by NOAA.

P.P.S.  Although sea turtle sightings in this area are rare, if you come across one you can report it to The Marine Mammal Center.

A long way from home

We were walking Salmon Creek Beach tonight, and ran into a State Parks Ranger and a Marine Mammal Center volunteer (Hi, Phil!) looking for a dead sea turtle that had been reported washed up on the beach.  We were in the right place at the right time — the turtle was spotted at the top of beach, and Phil prepared to transport it to The Marine Mammal Center.

 

I'll defer to experts, but it appears to be an Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).  [Note the gray coloration, and that there are at least 6 costal scutes (or scales) — these are the long scutes located between the vertebral scutes (running down the middle of the shell) and the marginal scutes (along the edge).  

Perhaps you heard that an Olive Ridley was spotted off Point Reyes in late December?  Folks have been wondering if sea turtle sightings in northern California this year could be related to El Niño conditions.

If you encounter a sea turtle on a local beach, you can call The Marine Mammal Center or the California Academy of Sciences.

P.S.  Click here for a picture of the only other sea turtle I've seen on Salmon Creek Beach (on 18 September 2013).

From across the Pacific

I'm so thankful to Doug Wilgis for sharing these photos.  When I opened my e-mail and saw the pictures, it made my day.  It's so much fun to know these amazing animals are close by:

 

Doug saw this Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) off Kehoe Beach at Point Reyes on 16 August 2015.

Here's another great shot of the turtle with Kehoe Beach in the background:

 

Leatherbacks are the largest living turtles.  They reach lengths of ~6.5 feet (2 meters) and weights of up to ~1,400 lbs. (650 kg).   

Turtles feeding in this area during the summer may nest in the western Pacific (e.g., Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands).  It's about a 6,000 mile (9,700 km) swim across the Pacific Ocean.

One of the Leatherback's primary prey is jellyfish.  They feed on them at the surface, but they can also dive as deep as 4,200 ft. (1,280 meters) and stay under water for as long as 70 minutes!

For more information about Leatherbacks, check out NOAA's web page here.

And again, many thanks to Doug for taking the time to observe and document this turtle and for sharing the pictures with all of us.

Nostalgia

 

Pretty amazing, isn't it?  I love the abstract patterns created by the septa, or internal walls of this barnacle's plates.  It's like a maze.

Not all barnacles look like this.  And this barnacle isn't one you're likely to encounter very often.  Meet Chelonibia testudinaria.  If you're familiar with Greek and Latin, by looking at the scientific name you'll be able to tell where this species of barnacle lives — they grow on sea turtles!

So why am I showing a turtle barnacle tonight?  Well, it's a long story.  I didn't find it locally — the one in this picture is from Massachusetts.  But it would be possible to find Chelonibia here, although it would be rare.  During the last few days I haven't been able to get out in the field much, and I've been feeling nostalgic.  I'm usually in New England for the holidays, and unfortunately, I can't be there this year.

And not long ago I read in The New York Times about the record number of sea turtles strandings on Cape Cod this year.  Before I started working in California, I helped out with those strandings, so I've been thinking about sea turtles and turtle barnacles.

Although sea turtle strandings are much rarer in northern California, they do occur — I showed one on 18 September 2013, and a green turtle was caught off San Francisco this year.  So here are a few sea turtle photos.  They're all from New England.  These individuals were cold-stunned, washed up on beaches, and then were transferred to the New England Aquarium in Boston for rehabilitation.

 

Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas)

 

Kemp's Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)

 

Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)

 

To read more about the 2014 Cape Cod sea turtle strandings, click here. 

P.S.  I hope you enjoyed the Solstice!

 

Am I in Mexico?

Early this morning I saw a Blue-footed Booby fly by Bodega Head, and then later this afternoon some beachwalkers alerted us to the presence of this animal stranded on Salmon Creek Beach:

 

With the exception of Leatherback Turtles which have a more northerly distribution and are observed swimming and feeding offshore in this area occasionally, most other sea turtle sightings in this part of California are rare and involve dead stranded animals.

I think the turtle in this photograph is an Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).  It's carapace was ~62 cm long.  Although I'm not completely familiar with their status in this region, it sounds like there have been at least 4 local records since the late 1980s: one at McClure's Beach on Point Reyes in January 1987, one offshore of Marin County in October 2001, one in Tomales Bay in November 2002, and one at Stinson Beach in November 2009.

There's a short article about central California sightings in this Marine Turtle Newsletter.  And more general information about Olive Ridleys is available on this National Marine Fisheries Service web page.

If you happen to find a stranded sea turtle, it's best not to move it, but to contact stranding experts at either the California Academy of Sciences (415-379-5381) or The Marine Mammal Center (415-289-7350).