There are seven species of sea turtles in the world: the Loggerhead, Leatherback, Green, Hawksbill, Kemp’s Ridley, Olive Ridley and the Flatback. Of these, the first five mentioned have been spotted in Maltese waters, but only two of these are sighted regularly - the Loggerhead and the Leatherback.
These are the sea turtles in Malta that you might be lucky enough to spot.
Loggerhead turtle (Caretta Caretta)
MT: Fekruna komuni
The Loggerhead is the most commonly sighted turtle in Maltese waters, seen during spring and from August to November. Look out for an oval, elongated carapace up to two metres long and reddish brown in colour. It has paddle-shaped limbs with one or two claws. The Loggerhead turtle is the most common turtle in the Mediterranean, a highly adaptable creature much given to wandering and having a world-wide distribution. Still, it is an endangered species, as, sadly, nearly all species of sea turtle are classified as endangered.
Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea)
MT: Fekruna sewda
The Leatherback turtle has tropical nesting habits and is truly given to wandering great distances at sea, with a wide distribution including the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans as well as the Mediterranean. This is the largest species of turtle, with a smooth carapace up to three metres long that’s black or dark brown with white or pink flecks. Its paddle-shaped limbs do not have any claws. The critically endangered Leatherback turtle is, surprisingly, recorded in Malta more frequently than the other species. However, this could be due to its large size making it more visible.
Green turtle (Chelonia Mydas)
MT: Fekruna hadra
Found mainly in the Atlantic Ocean and the eastern Mediterranean, this species breeds on the sandy shores of Turkey, Cyprus and Israel. Sometimes, it comes near the Maltese Islands, where it has also been captured once. Its carapace is light to dark brown in colour with a tinge of olive green and it grows to about 110 cm in length. The Green turtle has a characteristic curved thick blunt claw on its first digit.
Hawksbill (Eretmochelys Imbricata)
MT: Fekruna mtektka
The Hawksbill turtle is found around the world in tropical waters and very rarely does it get spotted in the Mediterranean. One specimen, however, was captured about five miles to the east of Gozo. Its elongated, one-metre long carapace is of amber colour, with reddish-brown, blackish-brown and yellow streaks and markings.
Kemp’s Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys Kempii)
MT: Fekruna ta' kemp
This species from the Atlantic breeds in the Gulf of Mexico and is rarely recorded in European waters. In the Mediterranean, the only record is of one captured in Malta in 1929; this specimen is now preserved in the Maltese Museum of Natural History. Although the Maltese specimen is much smaller, the carapace of Kemp’s Ridley turtle can be up to one metre long, tending towards being broader rather than longer. Its colour can be dark grey, greyish brown, black or olive green.
Sea turtle fact sheet
- Sea turtles originate from the Triassic Period, 245 to 208 million years ago.
- They are the only surviving seawater-adapted reptiles along with saltwater crocodiles, marine snakes and marine iguanas.
- Their lungs cause them to need to surface for air.
- However, the turtles prefer to bask in the warm temperatures at the surface of the water anyway, since they are cold-blooded creatures.
- Sea turtles eat fish, jellyfish, crustaceans, squid, coral, barnacles, algae, sponges and sea anemones with a beak-like toothless jaw.
- They filter seawater to drink, eliminating the salt in tears.
- Sea turtles can live for up to 50 years, reaching maturity at around 35 years of age.
- Turtles migrate annually to mating sites and feeding ground. The females lay eggs on sandy beach but the males never leave the water.
- The only species which nests in this area are Caretta Caretta (Loggerhead turtle) and Chelonia Mydas (Green turtle).
Save the turtles
Sea turtles have been around for more than 200 million years and yet they face extinction due to human activity and pollution, such as:
- Accidental trapping and entanglement in fishermen’s lines, nets and hooks. These can cause infections that cause a lot of suffering before death.
- Ingestion of plastics bags that they mistook for jellyfish.
- Strikes from boat propellers.
- Coastal development of nesting beaches and human activity that interfere with the natural process. For example, lights cause fatal navigation problems to turtle hatchlings who mistake them for the moon’s reflection on the sea.
- Destruction of feeding habitats due to destructive fishing techniques, farming runoff from the land, touristic development and climate change.
- Decline of the prey population for similar reasons.
As more turtles are getting injured and dying at sea and less are being born, populations are declining considerably. Do your bit to save them from an awful fate.
Pick up any plastic you see to save it from the sea.
Call the Wildlife Rescue Team emergency number immediately if you spot a turtle in distress. Save the number in your phone: +356 99999505.
Support the Adopt-a-Turtle campaign.
Adopt-a-turtle
Soon you’ll be able to adopt a turtle through Nature Trust Malta. The basic adoption pack of €25 per year includes a photo of the adopted turtle, useful information, a soft toy and an adoption certificate. You can also go for the premium pack at €50 or simply make a donation. The Adopt-a-Turtle Campaign, supported by AirMalta, will begin after Nature Trust Malta has raised a portion of the €1,600,000 funds needed for the Wildlife Rehabilitation & Educational Centre, which will also care for injured turtles. For more info or to make a donation, contact Nature Trust on [email protected].