McDowell, the Male Green
McDowell is an adult male green turtle that we encountered on August 4, 2023. This was the third turtle that was tagged in collaboration with Dean Bagley and the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group. McDowell was named after the late Professor Emeritus, Doc Ehrhart. Funding for this project was provided by the Sea Turtle Preservation Society. Follow along with McDowell’s journey below!
Note: If you notice McDowell tracking on land, it’s due to the reception of his tag. Rest assured; he is in the water where he belongs.
Ehrhart, the Male Green
Ehrhart is an adult male green turtle that we encountered on July 7, 2023. This was the second turtle that was tagged in collaboration with Dean Bagley and the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group. Ehrhart was named after the late Professor Emeritus, Doc Ehrhart. Funding for this project was provided by the Sea Turtle Preservation Society. Follow along with Ehrhart’s journey below!
Note: If you notice Ehrhart tracking on land, it’s due to the reception of his tag. Rest assured; he is in the water where he belongs.
Llewellyn, the Male Green
Llewellyn is an adult male green turtle that we encountered on July 3, 2023. This was the first turtle that was tagged in collaboration with Dean Bagley and the UCF Marine Turtle Research Group. Llewellyn was named after the late Professor Emeritus, Doc Ehrhart. Funding for this project was provided by the Sea Turtle Preservation Society. Follow along with Llewellyn’s journey below!
Note: If you notice Llewellyn tracking on land, it’s due to the reception of his tag. Rest assured; he is in the water where he belongs.
Lyra, the Hawksbill
Lyra is an adult female hawksbill that we encountered on May 31, 2023. Hawksbills inhabit waters along the coast of southern Florida but typically nest on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Because this was such a unique encounter, Lyra was outfitted with a satellite tag thanks to our partners at the National Save the Sea Turtle Foundation, the Florida Hawksbill Project, and the Loggerhead Marinelife Center. Follow along with Lyra’s journey below!
Note: If you notice Lyra tracking on land, it’s due to the reception of her tag. Rest assured; she is in the water where she belongs.
Doc, the Olive Ridley
Doc is an olive ridley sea turtle that was encountered at our St. Lucie Site on January 3rd, 2023. Named in honor of our late board member Llewellyn “Doc” Ehrhart, this turtle is the second olive ridley we have encountered and one of the very few healthy turtles of its species to be seen in Florida. Typically, olive ridleys are found in tropical and subtropical regions in the Pacific and Indian Oceans as well as the Southern Atlantic Ocean. Before release, Doc received a satellite tag thanks to our partners at Loggerhead Marinelife Center and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. Doc’s last known location was off the coast of Florida on April 17, 2023. See the map below for Doc’s full track!
Note: If you notice Doc tracking on land, it’s due to the reception of her tag. Rest assured; she is in the water where she belongs.
Jasper, the Olive Ridley
Jasper was originally encountered at our St. Lucie Site on May 11, 2019 and released later that day. Olive ridley sea turtles are a rare occurrence in Florida and only a handful have been documented over the decades. Based on his carapace length, Jasper was deemed an adult and due to his tail length, a male. He weighed roughly 67 lbs and had a very healthy body condition. Because of this, Jasper was a great candidate for a satellite tag, which was applied in collaboration with Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. The tag is no longer transmitting location information. Jasper’s last known location was off the coast of North Carolina on July 17, 2019. See the map below for Jasper’s full track!
Note: If you notice Jasper tracking on land, it’s due to the reception of his tag. Rest assured, he is in the water where he belongs.