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Synchronized emergence of offspring may represent an adaptive strategy to reduce predation risk. This strategy swamps the short-term capacity of predators to consume prey before offspring disperse, inducing a dilution effect, thus improving an individual’s chance of survival. In the case of sea turtles, this occurs during emergence and mass migration to the sea, to avoid potential predators on the beach. In this study, we evaluated the effect of group size on predation rates of loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta hatchlings during the crawl to the sea on Boa Vista Island, Cabo Verde. Our results show that synchronous emergence reduced rates of predation by tufted ghost crabs Ocypode cursor. The mean estimated predation rate overall was 50.3%. Predation was highest (~ 75%) in the smallest group sizes and decreased to~ 25% in larger groups, due to the lower probability of an individual being attacked by a ghost …