Thursday, October 23, 2008

Turtle Thursday: Sea Turtle hatchlings in trouble.

October 14, 2008. Beach goers at the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve discovered several sea turtle hatchlings in the dunes and notified the Sea Turtle Patrol. 3 patrolers along with the discovering family, combed the dune system for an hour retreiving 90 plus Green sea turtle (+Chelonia mydas+) hatchlings that had become disoriented after hatching the night before. The nest had been laid the day after TS Fay had washed out several sea turtle nests. The female laid the nest on the backside (western) of the primary dune, keeping her nest well away from the extreme high tides and heavy waves. Unfortunately, this positioning combined with the lights of a nearby roadway probably lead to the disorientation of the hatchlings. Though exhausted, all hatchlings appeared in good condition and will be released this evening.

More here:
http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-112626

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