When Do Sea Turtles Lay Eggs? (Month & Time of Day)

Sea turtles are amazing creatures, swimming vast oceans and over thousands of miles to propagate the next generation.

For many species, the cycle begins each spring as mature males and females perform elaborate courtship displays and mating rituals.

Sea turtles typically lay eggs from May through August, aligning with the warmest months at prime nesting beaches.

During these peak summer months, female turtles haul themselves onto sandy shorelines under cover of darkness to dig nests and deposit anywhere from 50 to over 100 leathery, billiard ball-sized eggs.

After about two months of incubation beneath the sand, tiny hatchlings emerge all at once and scramble towards the sea, continuing the cycle.

This blog post explores the environmental cues and seasonal factors that drive sea turtle nesting, egg production, and the laying cycle.

When Do Sea Turtles Lay Eggs?

Sea turtles lay eggs between May through August, during the peak summer nesting season when waters are warmest at preferred beaches.

Female turtles leave the ocean to bury leathery, billiard ball-sized eggs in carefully dug sandy nests that incubate for about two months before hatchlings emerge en masse to scramble into the sea.

Environmental Factors Influencing Nesting Time

Sea turtles have migrated across oceans to lay eggs on tropical nesting beaches for over 110 million years.

The cycle continues today, but how do these marine reptiles know when the time is right start the nesting and egg-laying process every year?

There are a few critical environmental cues that spark their nesting instincts:

• Water Temperature – Warmer ocean temperatures signal sea turtles that conditions are optimal to mate and nest. As coastal waters reach about 75-80°F during spring and summer, depending on latitude, this triggers mating, followed by the movement of pregnant females to lay eggs on nearby beaches.
• Photoperiod – Increasing daylight during spring also provides an environmental signal for sea turtles to begin the reproductive cycle of mating, nesting, and egg-laying. Natural light cycles coordinate the timing for offspring to hatch during periods of plentiful marine food sources in the summer months.
• Rainfall & Seasonality – While rainfall helps camouflage and protect nests on tropical beaches, too much precipitation can threaten sea turtle reproduction. That’s why most species have evolved to nest during warmer and drier seasons for the best hatching success.
• Age & Body Condition – Mature female sea turtles won’t nest and lay eggs until reaching adulthood, which is from 10-50 years old, depending on the species. They also build up substantial fat and protein reserves for a successful egg-laying season and must recover for 1-4+ years before subsequent breeding cycles.

As you can see, sea turtles have evolved over millions of years to adeptly sense environmental signals and arrive at optimal tropical beaches each spring and summer to continue their ancient legacy.

When Do Different Species of Sea Turtles Lay Their Eggs?

While the peak summer nesting season applies broadly across all 7 species of sea turtle, there are some subtle differences in when each kind tends to appear on nesting beaches to lay eggs:

The Different Species of Sea Turtles

Sea Turtle	Nesting Season	Clutch Size	Incubation Period
Loggerhead	May – August	100-126 eggs	50-60 days
Green	June – October	100-200 eggs	45-75 days
Leatherback	March – July	60-110 eggs	55-75 days
Hawksbill	June – October	140-215 eggs	50-70 days
Kemp’s ridley	April – August	100-125 eggs	45-58 days
Olive ridley	Year-round peak July-December	80-100 eggs	45-65 days
Flatback	October – March	50-60 eggs	50-60 days

As you can glean from the table, the largest loggerhead, green, and hawksbill sea turtles tend to lay eggs most actively in the core summertime months of June-August. While the smaller Kemp’s ridleys begin a bit earlier from April-August.

Leatherbacks are unique for having a more winter through early summer season from March to July. Their extra layer of fat allows them to withstand colder water temperatures.

Olive ridleys are the most prolific nesters, uniquely laying eggs virtually year-round with peaks variable based on location. The Australian flatback is the only turtle breeding mainly in the fall and winter from October to March.

When Do Sea Turtles Lay Their Eggs in Popular Tourist Destinations?

For those seeking to witness sea turtles laying eggs with your own eyes, here is a breakdown of peak seasons around the world:

Florida, USA – Loggerheads begin nesting as early as late April and are active straight through August, with leatherbacks and greens mixed in too. Popular spots include Boca Raton and Jupiter beaches.

Costa Rica – Nesting spans February through October encompassing leatherbacks, then greens and hawksbills. Prime spots are Tortuguero National Park and the Osa Peninsula.

Australia – Flatback turtles nest October through March around Western Australia’s Kimberly Coast and Pilbara region. Greens and loggerheads nest further north and east from November to March.

Southeast Asia – Many beaches offer nesting March through October by leatherbacks, greens, hawksbill, and olive ridleys. With spots in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

South Africa – The massive leatherback sea turtle and loggerhead nest from October all the way through March. Along with scattered green and olive ridley activity through summer. Head to iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Sodwana Bay.

Mexico – Famed beaches in the states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, Campeche, and Yucatan host nesting of the Kemp’s ridley turtle with subsidiary species all summer long from April to September.

So if glimpsing mother sea turtles hauling up to lay dozens of perfectly round white eggs is on your bucket list, be sure to consider any of these remarkable destinations during each area’s respective peak season. Just be sure to observe all rules and give nesting sea turtles ample space.

Conclusion:

In the end, mating and nesting rituals leading female sea turtles to fertilize and lay eggs have mainly continued unchanged since the age of dinosaurs over 100 million years ago.

The global nesting and egg-laying season now runs from March through October, varying subtly across the world’s 7 extant species – spanning habitats from steaming Costa Rican jungles and the Great Barrier Reef to the New England shores and frigid binds of the Antarctic peninsula.

We now understand the significant signals like warming waters, lengthening daylight, and favorable rains that spark this cycle each year.

But some hint of primeval mystery still remains around how sea turtles traverse entire oceans with pinpoint accuracy to lay their precious eggs in the exact same tropical beaches generation after generation.

Hopefully, this guide has illuminated key patterns around when and where sea turtles perform their ancient ritual of digging nests to bury dozens of fertile eggs in hopes they’ll hatch tiny turtles some two months later.

This essential reproductive cycle ensures the continuity of these venerable marine reptiles – which have navigated planet Earth’s oceans for longer than the dinosaurs roamed the land.

Here are 4 frequently asked questions and answers about when sea turtles lay eggs: