Sea Turtle Decals

You can help protect Florida's endangered and threatened marine turtles by making a donation to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Your donation will help fund research at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute and conservation efforts by the Imperiled Species Management Section. With each donation of five dollars or more, you will receive your choice of one of the waterproof decals featured below.

NEW! 2007 - Green Sea Turtles (Chelonia mydas) are an endangered species of sea turtle that nest on both the east and west coasts of Florida. Although females migrate to nest on Florida's beaches, male green turtles do not return to land after leaving the sands where they were hatched. Their nesting season extends from June through October. We gratefully acknowledge Dawn Witherington for her artwork.
	2006 - Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) occur statewide in Florida. They live primarily on coral reefs and in other hard-bottom communities along the southeastern coast, in the Florida Keys, and along the central gulf coast. Globally, the Hawksbill is considered a critically endangered species. Hawksbill decline is primarily attributed to centuries of exploitation for the beautifully patterned scales that cover their shell. We gratefully acknowledge Lizabeth West for her artwork.
2005 - Leatherback Sea Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are the world's largest sea turtle and are considered critically endangered worldwide, with some Pacific populations near extinction. Recently however, nesting in Florida has increased (a record of 824 nests in 2001. They are affected by plastics in the ocean, as they sometimes ingest plastic bags while searching for their diet of jellyfish.
	2004 - Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) As Florida's most abundant species of sea turtle, our beaches host the world's second largest loggerhead population, but those beaches are dwindling because of seawalls and rock revetments that continue to take valuable nesting habitat away from nesting females. The biggest negative impact on those beaches that are left is light pollution resulting in the deaths of thousands of hatchlings annually. Threats are also present in our waters, beds of sargassum weed, where the early part of the life cycle is spent, are accumulating pollutants such as oils, styrofoam, latex and other plastics.
2003 - Each year, hundreds of sick or injured sea turtles are found in Florida and taken to State-permitted rehabilitation facilities where they are treated. Many of these turtles are eventually released. During the first few days of 2001, 343 live sea turtles were rescued in the southern end of St. Joseph Bay after becoming debilitated by a severe cold snap. Thanks to the efforts of private citizens, local conservation organizations, biologists from state and federal agencies, and many rehabilitation facilities in Florida, almost all of the turtles were successfully treated and released (like the Green Turtle pictured on the 2003 decal).
	2002 - The Kemp's Ridley, the smallest of all sea turtles, feeds primarily on crabs over sandy/muddy bottoms or oyster reefs in shallow coastal estuaries and bays. Kemp's ridleys nest primarily on one beach in Mexico, where large numbers of females emerge together each year. After hatching, small Kemp's ridleys ride the Gulf Stream and other currents to feeding sites near Florida’s coast. After the number of Kemp's ridleys nesting declined by over 80% towards the end of the 1900s, many groups worked together to protect this highly endangered animal. Thanks to these efforts, the number of Kemp's is believed to be increasing, but more work is needed to ensure the survival of this species.
2001 -The Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) occurs throughout the world's tropical and subtropical oceans. Globally, it is considered a Critically Endangered species. Although hawksbills are subject to the suite of threats that affect other marine turtles, such as entanglement in marine debris and degradation of nesting and foraging habitats, the decline of the species is primarily attributed to centuries of exploitation for tortoiseshell, the beautifully patterned scales that cover the turtle's shell. In Florida, the hawksbill nests in very low numbers along the southeast coast and in the Florida Keys, and it inhabits coral reefs and other hard-bottom communities.
	2000 - The Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is an endangered species. The only regular nesting by this species in the continental United States is in Florida, where several hundred nests are recorded each year on the East coast. In 1999, leatherbacks laid a record 558 nests on Florida's beaches! This incredible animal is the largest marine turtle, reaching sizes of up to 8 feet and 2,000 pounds. Leatherbacks range from tropical to subarctic waters, and are the deepest diving turtles. They have a smooth, rubber-like skin rather than a hard shell, and a barrel-shaped body. Unfortunately, many leatherback turtles die from ingesting plastic debris mistaken for the jellyfish they normally consume. They also drown in shrimp nets and become entangled in lobster and crab pot lines.
1999 - We gratefully acknowledge Dawn Witherington for donating artwork for this decal. Florida is very important to Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) Beaches in Florida host the majority of loggerhead nesting in the Western Hemisphere, about 70,000 nests each year. However, loggerhead turtle hatchlings face many risks on their way to the ocean, including bright lights on the beach and beach equipment left out at night. After reaching the ocean, posthatchlings swim to the drifting lines of Sargassum weed that collect off Florida's coast. Their brown color blends with the floating seaweed and allows them to hide from predators. While in the weed lines, posthatchlings feed on small crabs, shrimp, jellyfish, and other small animals for several years. Unfortunately, they commonly mistake harmful bits of plastic and tar for food.
	1998 - We gratefully acknowledge Michelle G. Pasquin for donating artwork for this decal: Florida's beaches host more than 90% of the nesting activity (>70,000 nests) of the world's second largest Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) population. Loggerhead nesting occurs on sandy beaches throughout the State. Immature loggerheads, like the one pictured in the decal live in the open ocean until they reach approximately 18 inches in shell length, at which time they move into coastal waters.
1997 - We gratefully acknowledge Michelle G. Pasquin for donating artwork for this decal: This Green turtle (chelonia mydas) is an endangered species of sea turtle that nests on both the east and west coasts of Florida. Florida's nesting population, although small in comparison with that of the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), is one of the largest remaining nesting assemblages of green turtles in the wider Caribbean. The nesting season extends from June through October. Immature green turtles can be found in Florida's coastal waters throughout the year. Florida's nesting beaches and foraging habitats are crucial to the survival of this endangered species.
	1996 - We gratefully acknowledge Dawn Witherington for donating artwork for this decal: The Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys kempi) is the most endangered of the world's sea turtles. This small sea turtle occurs mainly in coastal areas of the Gulf of Mexico. It may also be found along the eastern United States as far north as Long Island Sound. It feeds primarily on crabs and other invertebrates found in shallow waters. Unlike other sea turtles that occur in the U.S., Kemp's ridleys nest in aggregations called "arribadas." Nesting occurs during the day, almost exclusively at a single beach near Rancho Nuevo, Mexico. Species survival is threatened by incidental capture in commercial fishing nets and trawls, marine pollution, and degradation of nesting beaches.
1995 - We gratefully acknowledge Jamie Serino (Flying Turtle Productions) for donating artwork for this decal: The Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is an endangered species that nests primarily along Florida's east coast. The leatherback is the largest of the marine turtles and the most wide ranging. This distinctive ocean dweller has a rubber-like skin on top rather than a hard shell and a barrel-like appearance. Leatherbacks reach a massive size of up to 2,000 pounds by feeding mostly on soft-bodied animals such as jellyfish. Although the number of nests reported from Florida's beaches fluctuates between 100 and 200 annually, these are significant as they represent the only regular nesting by this species in the continental United States.
	1994 - The Green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is an endangered species that nests primarily along Florida's east coast. The number of nests reported on Florida beaches fluctuates strongly and may be related to variations in environmental conditions on feeding grounds. Florida's nesting population, however, is one of the largest remaining nesting assemblages of green turtles in the wider Caribbean. Immature green turtles can be found in coastal waters throughout the year. The green turtle is the only strict vegetarian among marine turtles, feeding on sea grasses and algae. These animals were named for the color of their body fat, not the color of their shell.
1993 - The Loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) is Florida's most abundant species of sea turtle. The loggerhead is a threatened species and nests throughout Florida. With its large head and powerful jaws, the Loggerhead can feed on a wide variety of mollusks, crabs, and other animals found near reefs, rocks, and in grass beds.
	1992 - We gratefully acknowledge Dee Knott of the American Watercolor Society for donating artwork for this decal: The Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is an inhabitant of coral reefs worldwide and is one of the most endangered of the seven species of sea turtles. The hawksbill and four other species of endangered or threatened sea turtles nest on Florida's beaches or live in Florida's waters