Experience turtle nesting season in NT
Anyone who’s seen a turtle in the wild would agree it’s a memorable experience.
A large population of flatback sea turtles call the Northern Territory home in the coolers months, nesting at Bare Sand Island and providing travellers with a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with one of nature’s most special animals.
Bare Sand Island sits about 50km west of Darwin, at the end of a chain of islands in northern Fog Bay. It’s not huge, approximately 1.8km in circumference, sits upon a rocky reef. Oh yes, and as the name would suggest it’s mostly sand, with little vegetation and almost no shade.
But these are the perfect conditions for the flatback sea turtles to nest.
The best time to see the turtles is in the two hour period before and after high tide at night. It’s advised that when going to see the turtles you do so without any lights and excessive movement will disturb them and might cause them to return to water without laying their eggs.
When the turtle is laying eggs it’s advisable you leave them with plenty of room, so it can cover the new nest with sand and then return to the water.
If this sounds like the sort of experience you would like, Sea Darwin offers a unique experience that allows you to get up close and personal with these animals. For more information click here.
Some interesting facts about flatback sea turtles
- Turtles take about 30 years to reach maturity and return to nest in the same region. They may even nest on the same beach at which they were hatched.
- Interestingly it’s the sand temperatures control the sex of the hatchlings. The females are produced at warmer temperatures than the males.
- Flatback sea turtles can lay up to five clutches of eggs during the nesting season.
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