The hatchlings are here! Hilton Head’s first baby sea turtles of 2021 crawl into ocean
The hatchlings are here!
Hilton Head Island’s first baby loggerhead sea turtles of 2021 crawled out of the sand and into the world around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, said Amber Kuehn, director of Sea Turtle Patrol Hilton Head Island.
Eight to 10 turtles emerged Tuesday in a “first wave” of hatchlings, Kuehn said. Another 100 climbed out and made their way to the ocean Wednesday morning, she said. (Some of the turtles may have been closer to the surface and were able to dig themselves out more quickly.)
Lifeguards made sure beachgoers stayed clear of the tiny animals.
The first loggerhead nest to hatch this year was also the first laid on the island in 2021.
“It’s happened before, but it is unusual,” Kuehn said.
Why?
The hatched nest was laid May 10, she said. Nests laid from mid- to late May are more likely to hatch first, Kuehn said, because they are immediately exposed to higher temperatures.
Nests laid earlier in the year spend more time in the cooler air, Kuehn said.
Photos shared to Facebook show hundreds of flipper tracks on Hilton Head’s beach Wednesday morning.
“Aww. Look at all the tiny footprints,” one Facebook user wrote.
It’s still unknown exactly how many turtles were in the nest. Because sea turtle eggs tend to hatch over a three-day period, the Sea Turtle Patrol waits three days to go in and count the hatched and unhatched eggs in nests.
Sea turtle nesting season runs from May 1 until Oct. 31. Eggs incubate for around 60 days, so beachgoers should expect to see more hatchlings emerging from their nests in July.
Hilton Head has recorded 227 loggerhead nests so far this year, according to the S.C. Department of Natural Resources. Hunting Island State Park, meanwhile, has reported 109 nests, DNR data show.
No hatchlings have been documented at Hunting Island, said Buddy Lawrence, a volunteer with Friends of Hunting Island’s turtle team, early Wednesday. It won’t be long, though, before turtles emerge there, too. The island saw its first nest May 15, Lawrence said.
As hatching season continues in Beaufort County, sea turtle advocates advise beachgoers to do the following to ensure as many of the little reptiles as possible make it to the ocean:
Do not approach or touch adult sea turtles or hatchlings if you see them on the beach
Turn out the lights! If your home is on the beach, turn the lights out at night. If you’re walking on the beach, use a red filter or keep your flashlight off
Remove beach chairs, tents and toys before sundown so hatchlings do not get caught in them
Do not touch or poke sea turtle nests
Fill in holes before leaving the beach each night so small turtles do not get stranded on their way to the ocean
This story was originally published July 14, 2021 at 1:25 PM.
