Yakup Kaska

Endangered loggerhead sea turtles, known as Caretta caretta, have laid their first nest of the season on İztuzu Beach, a popular nesting ground in Muğla's Ortaca district.

These turtles migrate to the Aegean coast for five months each year, using the beach for nesting, incubation and mating.

The Sea Turtle Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (DEKAMER) in Dalyan in the western province of MUĞLA has lost signal from Caretta Caretta named Tuba, on which a satellite tracking device was installed before releasing it into the sea on Aug. 28, 2019.

Tuba, whose number of followers exceeds 9 million, is expected to return to Dalyan this summer and make a nest.

A Caretta caretta found injured in southwestern Muğla city and released back into the sea after receiving treatment has astounded researchers and the public alike by embarking on an incredible 28,000-kilometer journey over the span of 50 months.

Aside from being Türkiye's top holiday destinations, İztuzu and Çıralı beaches are two of the most important nesting areas of critically endangered Caretta carettas and host tourists from around the world under strict protection measures.

Tuba, a caretta caretta that was found injured in the western province of Muğla and released to the sea after the treatment with a satellite tracking device, covered a distance of 19,500 kilometers in 40 months, while 8 million people have viewed the map showing its route.

Following the nesting process of endangered Caretta caretta, which started at the end of May, the first baby Caretta has hatched from its egg in the southwestern province of Muğla's İztuzu beach on July 13.

Baby turtles in the world-famous İztuzu beach have begun hatching in the Aegean province of Muğla.

The Caretta caretta loggerhead turtle hatchlings crawled into the sea from the İztuzu beach, which is an important nesting area for this endangered species.

Thanks to empty beaches amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Caretta caretta sea turtles coming to nest on southwestern Turkish shores suffered fewer deaths and injuries this year, while record hatchlings made it to the Mediterranean Sea.

The endangered Caretta caretta sea turtles are at the risk of experiencing cold shock due to hypothermia with the onset of winters as the air cools down, said Professor Yakup Kaska, the head of the Sea Turtles Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation Center (DEKAMER), adding that there is no problem in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas at present.

The world-famous İztuzu beach in the Ortaca district of Muğla is experiencing one of its quietest days ever due to the coronavirus lockdown, as its natural inhabitants, the Caretta caretta loggerhead sea turtles, are beginning to lay their eggs.