NYCkayaker Sea Turtle!

[David Gottlieb]

No, you probably weren¹t hallucinating.... When the waters are warm, sea
turtles migrate to the Sound from the south and then as our waters cool they
travel south again. I believe there are three species of turtles in the
sound and I¹ve seen them on a number of occasions while hiking along the
shore and while sailing, but unfortunately never in a kayak.  Of the three
species I know of in the sound it could have been Loggerhead, ridleys or
Green sea turtles, probably juvenile as the adults of these species prefer
deeper waters. There are also Leatherbacks, but they usually stick to deeper
waters in the Atlantic and are rarely seen in the sound.

Ridleys and Leatherbacks, I believe, are both on the endangered species
list. Ridley¹s is the smallest species of which adults grow up to 100 pounds
and leatherbacks are the largest of the four species and can weigh as much
as 1,600 lbs.... The other two species are more common, although the and
these adults weigh in about 500 to 600 lbs.... Did you notice what colors or
patterns were on the shell???

The lifespan of some of these turles can be 75 years or more. The lifespan
of the Leatherback is unknown.... By the way, no man eating turtles around
the Sound....


On 8/13/07 6:37 AM, "Emile Zen" <emilezen at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Is this a common sight in the Long Island Sound?  I saw one yesterday, while
> paddling from Glen Cove to Mamaroneck after a Swim Across America event.
>   
>  
>   
> As it approached my starboard bow, I thought it was a plastic garbage bag,
> floating one or two feet under the surface of the water.  But then its shape
> became unmistakable.  The shell must have been around two feet in diameter.
> It continued swimming in the opposite direction to mine, and I didn't turn for
> a better look because I was in the middle of the shipping channel.
>   
>  
>   
> It was a split second thrill.  Hope I wasn't hallucinating...
>   
> 


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