Zululand - Heart and Pulse of the Zulu Kingdom

Turtle Tours

zoom Leatherback Turtle - Greater St Lucia Wetaland Park Photo: Uthungulu District Municipality

There are a number of different turtles that are found in the sea off the coast of Maputaland, in the Zululand region of South Africa:

The following are the most common, the:
- Leatherback
- Loggerhead
- Olive Ridley
- Green Turtle
- Hawkbill


However only two of these breed in these waters and lay their eggs on these shores namely the Leatherback and Loggerhead turtles.

The Leatherback is the largest sea turtle - 130 - 170 cm in length. Its shell is 'rubbery' - pliable with 12 prominent ridges. This turtle has long flippers. It also cannot withdraw its head. It is a specialist feeder on jellyfish. May dive up to 300m.Females nest at high tide on moonless nights in summer and lay 6 - 9 clutches of eggs. Each clutch contains 100 -120 eggs.

The Loggerhead is a large brown turtle. Shell has scutes which don't overlap and are smooth. Each limb has two claws. It hunts for crabs, molluscs and sea urchins on the coastline. The Loggerhead's body is 70 -100cm in length.

Females lays up to 5 clutches of 100 eggs in summer.

The Olive Ridley Turtle looks similar to the Loggerhead but only has one claw on each limb.

The Green Turtle enters estuaries to feed on sea grasses. Its shell has non overlapping scutes. The shell of this turtle is brown with light streaks. It is slow-growing,taking up to 15 years to mature.

The Hawkbill's shell is tear shaped and its scutes overlap. This turtle's beak is hooked. Its body is 98 -120 cm in length.

Loggerhead and Leatherback turtles were once almost extinct along the Maputaland coast, but thanks to conservation efforts their numbers are increasing. These ancient reptiles crawl onto the beaches at night to lay their eggs, from the end of October through to January. In January and February the babies break out of their eggs and crawl into the sea.

The ancestors of these magnificent creatures date back some 200 million years and it is an unforgettable privilege to stand beside a giant leatherback as she performs this miracle of nature.

The hatching of the young turtles takes place some 60 days after being laid, and in keeping with the miracle of nature the youngsters all emerge simultaneously. From this moment the struggle for life begins as they dig 40cm to the surface before crawling en mass the 60 meters or so to the surf - where in turn they are likely to become the prey of kingfish and other predators Life is harsh until the turtles are larger and the survival rate is fewer than one in 500.

The KZN Wildlife rangers based at Sodwana Bay and Cape Vidal take visitors onto the beaches during the breeding season to view the turtles. Enquire at the Sodwana Bay office on telephone: (035) 571 0051. The Bhanga Nek Community at Kosi Bay also arrange tours to view turtles.

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