The tracks
When the turtle goes up the beach to lay it leaves some recognisable tracks, like those in the photo.
If you see these marks on the sand: • take photos from various perspectives • do not alter anything • report to phone number 1530 and call Tartamare • monitor the area until the arrival of the Harbour Master or the experts.
What can you do
• Do not leave litter on the beach
• Fill the dug holes, take everything away: umbrellas, tents and toys
• Do not turn on lights or fires on the beach at night to avoid disorienting the animals
• Respect the delimited nesting areas: do not play football, do not lead dogs around them
• If you happen to come across a female about to lay down, do not disturb her in any way: do not touch her, do not illuminate her, do not photograph her with a flash, do not go in front of her and call 1530 and emergency numbers (save contacts useful from QR) Tartamare - What we do Tartamare is authorized to monitor and protect sea turtle nests
on the Tuscan coast by the Ministry for Ecological Transition.
When we receive a report or find a trace, we secure the nest by building a fence and protecting the incubation chamber with an anti-predation grate, we guard the nest and give information to the swimmers.
If the nest is at risk of flooding, we move the eggs to a safer place.
During the incubation period we carry out scientific monitoring of temperature, humidity and other environmental parameters that can affect the success of hatching.
When the young are born, we assist them until they enter the sea, hoping to see them return to nest in the future.
Fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storms are terrible, but they have never considered those dangers sufficient reasons to stay ashore. -Vincent Van Gogh-
The turtles make a long journey to return to lay their eggs where they were born.
The deposition in our latitudes takes place in summer, when the female heads towards the dune and chooses a point to dig the nest.
Once the eggs have been laid, she entrusts their development to the heat of the sand and returns to the sea.
it is very important to identify and protect the nests to prevent them from being destroyed by predators, human activity or storm surges.
The nest
The nest can reach a depth of 50 cm, have an average diameter of 20 cm and can contain over 100 eggs.
The Hatch
50 - 60 days after the spawning the hatchlings are born, they rise to the surface climbing one on the other to emerge.
During this very delicate phase, not everyone is able to survive. Hatching usually occurs at night, to reduce the likelihood of being preyed upon and dying from dehydration due to the high summer daytime temperatures.
This panel was created thanks to the contribution of Tef: Tuscany Environment Foundation