iSimangaliso Wetland Park is the principal breeding ground for the Loggerhead and the critically endangered Leatherback sea turtles in South Africa.

The Loggerhead sea turtle is named for its exceptionally large head. Loggerheads measure 80 to 110cm in length and weigh between 70 to 170kg. Loggerheads are primarily carnivorous and feed mostly on shellfish that live on the bottom of the ocean.

Leatherback turtles are named for their shell, which is leather-like rather than hard, like other turtles and are the largest of the sea turtle species. These sea turtles measure 1.2 – 2.4 meters in length and weighs between 225 – 900kg. Leatherbacks can consume twice their own body weight in prey per day, feeding exclusively on soft-bodied invertebrates like jellyfish. In recent years these ancient creatures are vulnerable to ingestion of floating marine debris like discarded plastics.

Loggerhead and Leatherback sea turtles arrive on the eastern shores of South Africa from November every year to lay their eggs. From January to February, hundreds of hatchlings emerge from their eggs and make their way down to the sea. Battling honey badgers, kelp gulls, ghost grabs, raptors and game fish, it is estimated that only one in a thousand hatchlings will survive into adulthood.