﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  287 
  

  

  REPTILES. 
  

  

  Tbe 
  most 
  valuable 
  reptiles 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  are 
  represeuted 
  in 
  

   the 
  Avaters 
  of 
  Florida, 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  occur 
  there 
  in 
  greater 
  abun- 
  

   dance 
  and 
  are 
  commercially 
  more 
  important 
  than 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  State. 
  

   The 
  most 
  prominent 
  resources 
  of 
  this 
  class 
  are 
  the 
  alligator, 
  diamond- 
  

   back 
  and 
  other 
  terrapins, 
  and 
  tliree 
  species 
  of 
  very 
  large 
  turtles. 
  The 
  

   last 
  named 
  are 
  the 
  only 
  important 
  reptiles 
  in 
  the 
  coastal 
  waters 
  and 
  

   tlieir 
  annual 
  value 
  exceeds 
  that 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  products 
  of 
  this 
  group. 
  

  

  The 
  green 
  turtle 
  [Chelonia 
  mydas), 
  the 
  most 
  highly 
  esteemed 
  of 
  the 
  

   marine 
  turtles, 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  seaboard 
  from 
  Long 
  Island 
  to 
  

   IJrazil, 
  and 
  hence 
  along 
  tlie 
  entire 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  Florida 
  coast, 
  where 
  it 
  

   is 
  especially 
  common 
  among 
  the 
  Florida 
  keys. 
  Overfishing 
  and 
  the 
  

   destruction 
  of 
  its 
  eggs 
  have 
  greatly 
  reduced 
  its 
  abundance 
  in 
  this 
  State, 
  

   and 
  the 
  annual 
  catch 
  is 
  now 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  formerly. 
  

  

  The 
  green 
  turtle 
  breeds 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Florida 
  from 
  April 
  to 
  .Tuly, 
  

   during 
  which 
  time 
  the 
  female 
  seeks 
  the 
  sandy 
  shores 
  of 
  keys 
  or 
  the 
  

   mainland 
  in 
  remote 
  situations. 
  She 
  arrives 
  at 
  night, 
  and 
  with 
  her 
  

   flippers 
  digs 
  a 
  hole 
  1 
  or 
  2 
  feet 
  deep 
  in 
  the 
  sand, 
  above 
  high-water 
  mark, 
  

   in 
  which 
  she 
  proceeds 
  to 
  lay 
  her 
  eggs, 
  numbering 
  between 
  100 
  and 
  -00. 
  

   The 
  turtle 
  then 
  scoops 
  the 
  sand 
  back 
  over 
  the 
  eggs, 
  smoothes 
  the 
  sur- 
  

   face 
  to 
  effect 
  concealment, 
  and 
  rapidly 
  retreats 
  to 
  the 
  water, 
  leaving 
  

   the 
  eggs 
  to 
  hatch 
  Avithout 
  further 
  attention. 
  The 
  hatching 
  occurs 
  in 
  a 
  

   few 
  weeks, 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  make 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  the 
  water; 
  many, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  fall 
  a 
  prey 
  to 
  carnivorous 
  birds 
  and 
  perhaps 
  other 
  animals. 
  The 
  

   turtle 
  returns 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  spot 
  during 
  the 
  season, 
  

   each 
  time 
  depositing 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  eggs 
  stated, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  total 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  of 
  eggs 
  laid 
  by 
  a 
  full-grown 
  turtle 
  in 
  a 
  year 
  is 
  from 
  300 
  to 
  (500. 
  The 
  

   green 
  turtle 
  attains 
  an 
  inmiense 
  size. 
  Examples 
  weighing 
  <)00, 
  800, 
  and 
  

   even 
  1 
  ,000 
  pounds 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  in 
  Florida 
  waters, 
  although 
  such 
  

   large 
  individuals 
  are 
  very 
  rare 
  and 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  in 
  recent 
  years 
  

   is 
  probably 
  under 
  ]r>0 
  pounds. 
  In 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  where 
  Ash- 
  

   ing 
  has 
  been 
  excessive, 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  than 
  formerly; 
  

   for 
  example, 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  it 
  is 
  under 
  50 
  pounds. 
  

  

  The 
  loggerhead 
  turtle 
  {Thalassochelys 
  caretta) 
  occurs 
  along 
  the 
  

   Atlantic 
  coast 
  from 
  Virginia 
  to 
  Brazil, 
  and 
  is 
  common 
  on 
  both 
  the 
  

   east 
  and 
  west 
  coasts 
  of 
  Florida, 
  although 
  much 
  less 
  numerous 
  than 
  

   formerly. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  least 
  valuable 
  of 
  the 
  marine 
  turtles, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  

   little 
  demand 
  for 
  its 
  flesh 
  as 
  food, 
  although 
  more 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  

   are 
  taken 
  than 
  any 
  other. 
  It 
  reaches 
  an 
  immense 
  weight, 
  surpassing 
  

   the 
  green 
  turtle 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  The 
  maximum 
  weight 
  is 
  1,500 
  or 
  1,000 
  

   pounds, 
  but 
  the 
  average 
  weight 
  in 
  Florida 
  is 
  not 
  much 
  more 
  than 
  200 
  

   pounds, 
  although 
  occasional 
  examples 
  weighing 
  000 
  ])ounds 
  are 
  taken. 
  

   According 
  to 
  Mr. 
  II. 
  A. 
  Smeltz, 
  of 
  Tarpon 
  Springs, 
  loggerhead 
  turtles 
  

   were 
  very 
  abundant 
  some 
  years 
  ago 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Stump 
  Pass, 
  

   De 
  Soto 
  County, 
  where 
  he 
  made 
  some 
  interesting 
  observations 
  of 
  theii' 
  

   habits 
  when 
  they 
  came 
  ashore 
  to 
  lay 
  their 
  eggs 
  at 
  night 
  during 
  the 
  

  

  