Wildlife guide · Mustang Island
Mustang Island and the adjoining Padre Island National Seashore are the most important nesting beaches in the United States for the Kemp's ridley — the world's most endangered sea turtle. Here's what to look for, when, and what to do if you find a nest, fresh tracks, or a stranded turtle.
Five of the world's seven sea turtle species turn up along the Port Aransas coast: the Kemp's ridley (the headliner — federally listed as endangered), the green sea turtle (often spotted in the jetty rocks and the ferry channel), loggerheads farther offshore, and the occasional deep-water leatherback or reef-loving hawksbill. Kemp's ridley nesting peaks April through July, and the National Park Service runs public hatchling releases on Padre Island most summers when conditions allow. Port Aransas is also home to the Amos Rehabilitation Keep (the ARK) — a University of Texas Marine Science Institute program that handles more stranded sea turtles than any other rehab facility in the United States.
Lepidochelys kempii
The smallest and most endangered sea turtle in the world. Adults reach about 24–28 inches in shell length and 70–100 pounds. Mustang Island and Padre Island National Seashore are the most important U.S. nesting beaches. Females nest in daylight in groups called arribadas — a behavior unique to ridleys.
▶ 1947 Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle Nesting
Chelonia mydas
Frequently seen feeding on seagrass and algae in the bays, around the jetties, and in the Aransas Pass ferry channel. Juveniles are common; adults are larger and migratory — named for the green color of their fat, they can grow to several hundred pounds. Watch the rocks at the south jetty on calm days.
▶ Caring for green sea turtles at the Monterey Bay Aquarium | Best Job Ever!
Caretta caretta
Less common in Port Aransas than ridleys or greens, but observed offshore and occasionally beached. The third-largest sea turtle, identifiable by their large reddish-brown heads — the powerful jaws behind that oversized head let loggerheads crush hard-shelled prey like crabs and whelks that other sea turtles can't eat.
▶ A Florida Sea Turtle Study
Dermochelys coriacea
The largest sea turtle in the world — and the only one without a hard shell, carrying a ridged, leathery carapace instead. Leatherbacks can dive past 4,000 feet chasing jellyfish. They're rare off Port Aransas and generally stay in deeper Gulf water, but nearshore sightings do happen — report any to the hotline.
▶ Saving Leatherback Turtles In Trinidad | Blue Planet II | BBC Earth
Eretmochelys imbricata
A tropical coral-reef specialist, rarely seen off Port Aransas — though juveniles occasionally turn up around Texas jetty rocks. The narrow, curved beak that gives the hawksbill its name is a precision tool for plucking sponges, algae, and invertebrates out of reef crevices.
▶ All about the HAWKSBILL Sea Turtle
Nesting and tracks peak from April through July, when trained biologists and volunteers patrol Texas beaches daily looking for nesters and fresh tracks. Stranded turtles can show up year-round but are more commonly reported during cold snaps in winter (cold-stunning).
Jan
Rare
Feb
Rare
Mar
Possible
Apr
Peak
May
Peak
Jun
Peak
Jul
Peak
Aug
Possible
Sep
Rare
Oct
Rare
Nov
Rare
Dec
Rare
All sea turtles in U.S. waters are federally protected. Touching, disturbing, or harassing a sea turtle, nest, or hatchling is a federal crime. The right move is always: do not touch — call the hotline.
Sea Turtle Hotline
1-866-TURTLE-5 (1-866-887-8535)Padre Island National Seashore — 24/7 for nests, tracks, stranded or injured sea turtles.
Keep at least 50 feet of distance. Keep dogs leashed and well away. Do not let children approach for photos.
Tracks in the sand are a direct line to a nest. Walking on or near them can collapse it. Do not handle eggs, even if you think they're abandoned.
Padre Island National Seashore runs the regional sea-turtle hotline 24/7. They will dispatch trained responders.
Mile marker, nearest beach access, or GPS coordinates from your phone — anything that helps responders find the spot.
If safe, stay nearby to keep people and pets away. Do not move the turtle into the water or shade — responders will assess and act.
April through July, with the heaviest nesting activity in May and June. Kemp's ridleys nest in daylight (often morning), unlike most sea turtles. Hatchlings emerge roughly 50–60 days after a nest is laid, so the first public hatchling releases at Padre Island National Seashore are typically in mid-June and continue through July and into August.
Yes, when conditions allow. Padre Island National Seashore announces public hatchling releases on short notice (the timing depends on temperature). Sign up for the park's hatchling release alert hotline at 361-949-7163, and check the National Park Service Padre Island website during the season for the day's status.
Do not touch it. Stay back at least 50 feet, keep dogs and children away, and call the regional sea-turtle hotline at 1-866-TURTLE-5 (1-866-887-8535). The hotline runs 24/7 and dispatches trained responders. Note the location (nearest beach access or GPS pin) when you call.
Sea turtle tracks are about two feet wide and look like a check mark pressed into the sand — alternating flipper prints with a drag mark down the middle — coming up out of the surf like tractor-tire marks. They lead to a circular disturbed area in the sand (the nest). If you see fresh tracks but no nest, the nest could be nearby — don't try to find it. Call the hotline and note the location.
Typically 100–125 eggs per nest — a group of eggs is called a clutch. Females dig the nest in the sand with their rear flippers, and a single female usually nests multiple times in a season, roughly two weeks apart. Most sea turtles nest at night; Kemp's ridleys are the exception that routinely nests during the day.
The temperature of the nest during incubation. Like many turtles, sea turtle sex is temperature-dependent: cooler sand produces more male hatchlings, warmer sand produces more females. It's one reason biologists monitor and protect nests so carefully through the roughly 50–60 day incubation.
Mustang Island and adjacent Padre Island National Seashore are the most important nesting beaches in the United States for the Kemp's ridley — the world's most endangered sea turtle. The Texas nesting effort is the cornerstone of a multi-decade binational recovery program with Mexico, where the species' single largest nesting beach is at Rancho Nuevo.
Absolutely. Sea turtles do not interact with swimmers and are generally seen on the beach during nesting (in the morning) or far offshore. Routine swimming, surfing, and beach use don't disturb nesting activity as long as you stay clear of any tracks or roped-off nest sites you encounter.
They can, which is why active nests are roped off and marked once located, and why driving outside the marked beach corridors is prohibited. If you're driving on the beach, stay between the dunes and the water in the marked driving lane, slow down at any roped-off areas, and watch for posted nest markers.
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