Loggerhead Sea Turtles at Georgia Aquarium
Through Georgia Aquarium's 4R Program, we are able to rehabilitate and release loggerhead sea turtles back into their natural habitats. You can help the Aquarium provide care for animals like Joey and Dylan by donating to the Aquarium's 4R Program. Click here to see how you can help.
Learn about our turtles, Joey and Dylan!
Meet Our Loggerhead Sea Turtles
Joey's Story
Released September 11, 2008
On August 14, 2002, Joey entered the world as a straggler hatchling. Joey was transferred to the Aquarium at Skidaway Institute for Oceanography in Savannah, GA. Joey joined the Georgia Aquarium family on Jan. 16, 2006, joining loggerhead sea turtle Dylan, who was released in June 2008. While at the Georgia Aquarium, Joey gained 88 lbs and grew 8.5 inches in length. During its last physical, the turtle weighed 117 lbs, and its carapace was 31 inches long.
On April 30, 2008, Joey , whose sex is unknown, was transported to the Aquarium's off-site quarantine facility in order to be weaned off human care in preparation for release. After four months of successfully learning the skills needed to return to its native habitat - including identifying and capturing natural prey such as blue crabs, horseshoe crabs and whelks – the time has come for the Georgia Aquarium to say goodbye to Joey.
Biologists from the Georgia Aquarium, in collaboration with the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, released Joey on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2008 on St. Simons Island, GA. Prior to the release, Joey was fitted with a special satellite transmitter, provided by Georgia Aquarium, which allows Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) researchers and visitors to the GSTC and Georgia Aquarium Web sites the opportunity to monitor Joey's activities and movements. By studying these movements, researchers may be able to document some of the differences between learned and inherited behaviors of sea turtles.
You can help the Aquarium release more sea turtles by donating to our 4R Program! Click here to learn more.
Dylan's Story
Released June 30, 2008
Dylan's life began on the beach of Jekyll Island, Georgia, where the hatchling straggler was rescued on August 26, 1998. The turtle was taken to the Tidelands Nature Center, where she lived for several years. After outgrowing the Tidelands Nature Center, the Georgia Aquarium partnered with Tidelands, and Dylan was moved in November 2005 to a new habitat at the Georgia Aquarium.
While at the Aquarium, Dylan was seen by more than 4.9 million guests and was a successful example of the Aquarium's 4R program (Rehabilitation, Responsibility, Rescue and Research). The 4R Program is designed to positively impact the health and well-being of aquatic life from around the world.
While at the Aquarium, Dylan's size doubled! Weighing in at close to 140 lbs and measuring more than 19.5 inches, it was time for the Georgia Aquarium to say goodbye to Dylan. Dylan was transported in May 2007 from the Georgia Aquarium to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, where she began learning the skills needed to return to her native habitat.
On June 30, 2008, members of the Georgia Aquarium and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center partnered to release Dylan off the same coast where she was found nearly 10 years ago. Before being released, Dylan was fitted with a satellite tag, provided by Georgia Aquarium, so that the turtle's migration and behavior can be recorded and studied. It is now possible to track Dylan’s progress and see her current location.
You can help the Aquarium release more sea turtles by donating to our 4R Program! Click here to learn more.
Fun Facts
- It is nearly impossible to know a loggerhead sea turtle's gender until it reaches adulthood, which may take 20 years.
- Approximately 50,000 to 70,000 female loggerheads nest on beaches along the southeastern U.S. coast. More than 90% nest in Florida.
- An adult loggerhead turtle weighs 200-350 lbs and measures about 3 feet in length.
- The female loggerhead drags herself up the beach, digs a hole with her back flippers and deposits 100-125 eggs the size of golf balls.
- The gender of a sea turtle is determined by the tem-perature in the nest: fe-males develop from warmer areas and males from cooler locations.
- After 45 to 60 days, the hatchlings emerge from the nest together and scamper down the beach to the water in the middle of the night.
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