‘Babies have hatched!’: Turtles emerging from Lowcountry nests. Why some are out early
Sea turtle hatching season is officially underway in South Carolina with hatchlings beginning to emerge — some of them early — from nearly 6,000 nests on the state’s beaches.
A state biologist said the number of nests found so far, while not matching a record set three years ago, is still “huge” and a good sign.
“The babies have hatched!” Friends of Hunting Island Sea Turtle Conservation Project said Thursday on Facebook when it announced its first hatchlings from a nest laid May 10. “The babies have hatched!”
Sea Turtle Patrol Hilton Head Island posted on Facebook Saturday that its first nest had hatched and emerged. “We are sooo excited,” the organization said.
Prichards Island also had its first hatchlings emerge Thursday, said Abby Morris, who works on turtle conservation there.
The state’s first nest was documented on Lighthouse Island. Hatchlings emerged from that nest July 3, followed by others up and down the coast.
In Beaufort County, more than 300 nests have been documented so far on Hilton Head, and more than 120 on Hunting Island.
Those local nests are among the 5,600 nests that have been counted so far statewide.
That’s more than the total sea turtle nest count of last season but fewer than the 8,796 nests recorded by the end of the 2019 nesting season — a record, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
“These are still huge numbers,” Michelle Pate, a S.C. DNR wildlife biologist, said in a news release, “which is overall very encouraging for this protected species.”
Cyclical fluctuations are not unusual, the S.C. DNR said. Sea turtles do not nest every season, the agency notes, and laying eggs, which requires a great deal of energy, can also be affected by the quality and availability of food during the winter.
Beginning in May of each year, up to four of the world’s seven sea turtle species come ashore to lay eggs on South Carolina beaches. After about two months of incubation, young turtles emerge from ping pong ball-sized eggs and quickly make their way toward the ocean.
“The emergence of hatchlings from nests reported so far is well under the average 60-day incubation period,” Pate said. “This shortened incubation period typically happens with nests laid early in the season.”
Hot temperatures can also affect the duration of the incubation period, Pate said, leading to the early emergence of hatchlings.
When dozens of baby turtles finally emerge simultaneously from a nest, it’s called a “boil” because it looks like the sand is boiling. Once free, they flop and flail, using their tiny flippers to propel them. Then, attracted to the blue and green wavelengths of light naturally reflected off the ocean, they make a beeline and disappear into the unknown.
Female sea turtles will continue nesting on South Carolina beaches for about two more months, the S.C. DNR said.
S.C. DNR is asking beach residents and visitors to give the animals the best chance of success by keeping beaches dark because lights can scare off females and disorient hatchlings. Also, the S.C. DNR says pick up litter, remove personal belongings and fill in holes at the end of the day.
And do not pick up, touch or interfere with hatchlings heading to the ocean, which is illegal. Violations can lead to fines of up to $25,000 and a year and jail.
Report all sick/injured/hooked/dead sea turtles and any nest or animal disturbances to the S.C. DNR at 1-800-922-5431.
This story was originally published July 9, 2022 at 2:17 PM.
