Post by jholland1964 on Jul 16, 2019 21:43:57 GMT -5
My daughter took these two photos on her morning beach walk while we were vacationing at Folly Beach, S.C. A loggerhead turtle mama came in to lay her eggs the night before and left the trail from the ocean to create her nest and lay her eggs. The group of eggs in the nest is called a clutch & usually contains around 110 eggs. When nesting the females usually produce 3 to 4 clutches a season and then will produce no more eggs for 2 or 3 years
The loggerhead sea turtles crawl onto Folly Beach every year between May and September to lay their eggs. Preparation of the nest and laying the eggs usually take a couple hours. This is done at night. They will do this between 2 and 4 times in one season but then do not return for at least two or three years. It is believed that they nest on the same beaches where they were hatched decades earlier. Incubation period is roughly 80 days.
The nests are near the water but above the tide line near the lower edges of dunes for protection so the hatchlings can return to the sea. The adult turtles average around 300 lbs and their average measurement is around 3 feet. Some can be larger and some a bit smaller but these are the largest turtles found. The hatchlings measure about 1.8 inches and weigh about .07 oz.
At Folly Beach they have volunteers who monitor all of the nests daily throughout the nesting season. Each new nest is roped off when discovered so that people will stay away. We have seen one nest hatch in 20 years. It happens at night so you often will not see them. But when you do it is a sight to behold, hundreds to tiny little turtles heading out to sea. According to the strict regulations you are not allowed to help them, they must make the trip on their own. If it is high tide their journey is fairly quick but if it is low tide it will take them a long time to make it to the water and of course some of them don't make it. It is an amazing sight. This year there were two nests in front of the house we rent but no hatching.
The loggerhead sea turtles crawl onto Folly Beach every year between May and September to lay their eggs. Preparation of the nest and laying the eggs usually take a couple hours. This is done at night. They will do this between 2 and 4 times in one season but then do not return for at least two or three years. It is believed that they nest on the same beaches where they were hatched decades earlier. Incubation period is roughly 80 days.
The nests are near the water but above the tide line near the lower edges of dunes for protection so the hatchlings can return to the sea. The adult turtles average around 300 lbs and their average measurement is around 3 feet. Some can be larger and some a bit smaller but these are the largest turtles found. The hatchlings measure about 1.8 inches and weigh about .07 oz.
At Folly Beach they have volunteers who monitor all of the nests daily throughout the nesting season. Each new nest is roped off when discovered so that people will stay away. We have seen one nest hatch in 20 years. It happens at night so you often will not see them. But when you do it is a sight to behold, hundreds to tiny little turtles heading out to sea. According to the strict regulations you are not allowed to help them, they must make the trip on their own. If it is high tide their journey is fairly quick but if it is low tide it will take them a long time to make it to the water and of course some of them don't make it. It is an amazing sight. This year there were two nests in front of the house we rent but no hatching.
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