PO Box 1114, Holmes Beach, Florida 34218
+1 (941) 301 8434 · [email protected]
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If you see a turtle on the beach during the day, it is likely to be either a Gopher Tortoise or a Box turtle, both of which are native to AMI and live in the dune ecosystem. They are land turtles and don’t need to be put in the water; in fact they may drown in water. The easiest way to tell these turtles apart from sea turtles is to look at their limbs. Sea turtles have flippers and land turtles have legs and feet. Also, when frightened, land turtles can pull their head and limbs into their shell but this is something that sea turtles cannot do. Sea turtles live most of their lives in the ocean and may be found on the beach when they are nesting, hatching or if they are injured.
If you see a dead or injured sea turtle or hatchling in distress, please call us at 941-301-8434.
From April 15 to Oct 31 each year, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch patrols the entire shoreline of Anna Maria Island. Each morning at dawn, trained patrollers with endangered species permits look for crawls from females from the night before, mark nests, and check all existing nests for signs of hatchling emergence. Feel free to watch and ask questions if you see our teams on the beach.
Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch patrollers do not patrol the beach at night. By remaining off the beach at night, we prevent accidental disturbance to nesting and hatching sea turtles. If you happen to see a sea turtle nesting or a nest hatching, you do not need to contact AMITW as we will note the activity on our morning patrol. Please watch from a distance and do not use any form of light or flash.