Rare leatherback sea turtle nests on Sanibel Island

Writer: Derrick Shaw
Published: Updated:
Juniper, the leatherback sea turtle. Credit: Florida Leatherbacks Inc.

What better way to celebrate and protect turtles and tortoises on “World Turtle Day” than by welcoming a rare species to our shores?

Back in April, biologists with The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation spotted a rare  leatherback sea turtle off Sanibel Island. Earlier in May, team members were able to place a tracking device on the female turtle and now, it looks like she has made herself a home in Southwest Florida.

The foundation said Juniper, the leatherback sea turtle, now has a nest on Sanibel Island.

The experts say leatherbacks very rarely nest on the Gulf Coast, but that’s where Juniper is currently, according to the conservation foundation’s interactive map online.

The map shows she has traveled around 100 kilometers.

Leatherback sea turtles are a federally-designated endangered species.

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Team members stand together with Juniper, the leatherback sea turtle. Florida Leatherbacks Inc.

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