As storm raged, volunteers saved tiny Hunting Island turtle from killer crab
A small loggerhead turtle, just minutes old, survived two perils that could have and should have ended its young life. But thanks to the good eyes and quick responses of some human volunteers, the tough little turtle will live to join others in the waters off Hunting Island.
During the deluge of Tropical Storm Debby, local volunteers of the Sea Turtle Conservation Project were checking turtle nests at 10 a.m. Wednesday when they discovered a ghost crab inside the protective fencing at one nest. The caged areas protect nests, mainly from raccoons, but allow some wildlife to get in and out.
I said, ‘He has something in its claws,’” said Beth Glass, the director of the Sea Turtle Conservation Project.
That something was a tiny turtle, barely hours old. Ghost crabs are omnivorous and feed on insects, clams and the eggs and hatchlings of loggerhead turtles.
The crab was poked with a blade of Spartina grass and reluctantly gave up the booty. “We kind of wrestled that hatchling away,” Glass says.
The newborn sea turtle was released into the ocean and forever named Little Debby after the tropical storm that was surging as the little turtle was welcomed into the world.
According to Glass, Little Debby had couple of cuts to show for her brush with death, “But swam off real strong and hopefully made it out before the worst of the stuff came.”
The name was not entirely inspired by Tropical Storm Debby, said Glass, who admits she also is fond of Little Debbie snacks.
Good news for nests
During Tropical Storm Debby, tides surged over 26 turtle nests at Hunting Island that the Sea Turtle Conservation Project monitors.
But one of the nests has since hatched even though it was inundated with water.
“That gives us hope for the other 26 that were washed over,” Glass said.
One nest on Boneyard Beach was lost, Glass said.
Besides surging water that can accompany storms, pooling water from rain can harm turtles when it fills up nesting chambers.
That’s because the oxygen exchange for turtles takes place through a sack inside the shell, Glass said. As a result, if a nesting chamber floods, the young turtles can drown inside the shell, Glass said.
But standing water has not been a big issued on Hunting Island — although it would have been had 30 inches of rain fallen as was predicted, Glass said. In 2020, a random July 7 storm dumped 13 inches on the Island and standing water claimed 90 of the 120 some nests on the island.
During Tropical Storm Debby, Glass said, “we lucked out,” and standing water has not been a big issue.
On Wednesday, five nests hatched. “So it doesn’t automatically mean they are going to be lost,” Glass said, “it just depends on how well the area drains that they are in.”
It may have helped that the sand was relatively dry when the storm hit and was able to absorb more moisture, Glass said.
This story was originally published August 8, 2024 at 8:44 AM.
