NYCkayaker Sea Turtle!

[David Gottlieb]

Correction!!!  I was just informed by a marine biologist that the
leatherbacks can actually grow to 2,000 lbs, but she also noted they can
dive for up to an hour to depths of 5,000 feet....



On 8/13/07 9:14 AM, "Dennis Wiener" <dwiener at earthlink.net> wrote:

> I'm pretty sure all sea turtles are protected, and considered endangered.
> 
> David Gottlieb wrote:
>> 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...
>>