Sea Turtles

• Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta)
• Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
• Atlantic Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata imbricata)
• Atlantic Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)
• Leatherback Sea Turtle (Dermochelys coricea)

Sea Turtles are truly aquatic turtles, which only come onto land to lay eggs. Their limbs have evolved into flippers. All five species of Sea Turtle may potentially visit the coastal waters of South Carolina. The Loggerhead Sea Turtle regularly nests on the beaches of South Carolina. The Leatherback is the largest of these turtles and the Atlantic Ridley is the smallest.

updated: May 5, 2010
Contact: South Carolina Reptiles and Amphibians