Are There Sea Turtles in the Mediterranean? Where They Nest

Which sea turtles live in the Mediterranean?

Only two species breed in the Mediterranean: the loggerhead sea turtle and the green sea turtle. Both are genetically distinct from their Atlantic relatives, because the Mediterranean was colonized long ago and its nesting females return to local beaches.

The leatherback sea turtle enters through the Strait of Gibraltar and has been recorded throughout the basin, mostly as large juveniles and adults following jellyfish. The few hawksbills seen in the east probably come from the Red Sea.

Where do loggerheads nest in the Mediterranean?

Loggerheads are by far the most numerous Mediterranean sea turtle. A 2022 IUCN review estimated that more than 8,000 clutches are laid in the region each year, by roughly 1,800 nesting females, at 25 major and about 70 minor nesting sites. Mediterranean loggerheads are also the smallest of their species anywhere in the world.

Nesting is concentrated in the eastern basin:

• Greece has the largest nesting population. Laganas Bay on Zakynthos and southern Kyparissia Bay in the Peloponnese each average around 1,000 nests a year, and Crete (Rethymno, Chania and Messara Bay) and Lakonikos Bay are also important.
• Turkey has a string of nesting beaches along its southwest and south coasts, including Dalyan, Dalaman, Fethiye, Patara, Çıralı, Belek and the Göksu Delta. Nests at Belek have risen sharply since the 1990s.
• Cyprus hosts loggerheads on both sides of the island, with Chrysochou Bay in the west among the busiest beaches.
• Libya is probably also important, with long sandy coasts used by nesting loggerheads, but recent survey data are scarce.

Israel, Tunisia, Egypt and Lebanon have smaller numbers. In the western Mediterranean, loggerheads nest at low levels in Italy, Spain, France and Malta. Such nests have been reported more often over the past decade, which researchers link partly to warming seas, but they remain a small share of the total. For a worldwide view, see where do loggerhead turtles nest?

Where do green turtles nest in the Mediterranean?

Green turtles nest only in the warmer eastern Mediterranean. Most nests are in Turkey, Cyprus and Syria, with smaller numbers in Egypt, Israel and Lebanon and only occasional nests on Crete. The 2022 IUCN review estimated about 1,200–2,700 clutches a year. A single Turkish beach, Akyatan near Adana, holds roughly a fifth of all Mediterranean green turtle nests, and Kazanlı and Samandağ in Turkey and Alagadi in northern Cyprus are other key sites.

Mediterranean green turtles were heavily hunted in the first half of the 20th century, and the population fell sharply. Monitoring now shows nest numbers rising again, but the population is still small and confined to a short stretch of coast, which leaves it vulnerable to local threats.

When is turtle nesting season in the Mediterranean?

Adults gather off the nesting beaches in spring. Females come ashore at night from about late May to August, with a peak in June and July, and each female usually lays two or more clutches of around 110 eggs in a season. After roughly 45–60 days in warm sand, the hatchlings emerge, mostly at night, from about July to October.

Outside the breeding season, adults and juveniles spread out to feed. The shallow northern Adriatic and the Tunisian shelf are important feeding grounds for loggerheads, and the western Mediterranean holds many juveniles that hatched on beaches in the southeastern United States and drifted in from the Atlantic.

Are Mediterranean sea turtles endangered?

The Mediterranean loggerhead population is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, a status the IUCN says depends entirely on long-term conservation. At the main monitored beaches, average yearly nest counts after 2000 were about a quarter higher than before 1999. Worldwide, however, the loggerhead is Vulnerable, and the Mediterranean green turtle population has not yet been given its own regional assessment.

The main threats are bycatch in fishing gear, coastal development and tourism on nesting beaches, artificial lights, boat strikes, plastic debris and, in a few places, illegal trade in turtle products. Climate change is a growing concern because warmer sand produces more female hatchlings; read more in does temperature decide a turtle’s sex?

How to see Mediterranean sea turtles responsibly

Some of the best-known turtle beaches are popular holiday destinations, so visitors make a real difference. Protected areas such as the National Marine Park of Zakynthos and many Turkish and Cypriot nesting beaches have rules on beach use, and they are worth following carefully:

• Use the beach only in daytime during the nesting season, and never disturb marked or fenced nests.
• Keep beaches dark at night: no flashlights, phone lights or campfires near nesting areas.
• Fill in holes and leave no sunbeds, umbrellas or rubbish on the sand overnight.
• Never touch, chase or feed turtles in the water, and choose boat trips that keep their distance and speed limits.
• Join guided activities run by local conservation groups, which often offer information kiosks, morning nest walks or volunteering.