Sea Turtles

Sea turtles and their nests are a big deal in South Carolina. Sea turtles spend the majority of their lives in the water. Females come ashore to lay their eggs. When rangers or volunteers spot a nest they do their best to protect it because the mothers return to the ocean.

Over the years, different cages were used to protect the nests. At last they came up with a wire nest crimped along the edges. Red fox used to be the primary predator of sea turtle nests in Huntington Park. The new cages kept them out. A few years ago, coyote came to the area and the red fox disappeared.

The other night as we walked the beach, three men with the park dug up one of the nests.

We learned nests are watched for seventy days for signs of hatchlings. At that point, the nests are dug up and studied. The nest we saw dug up showed some turtles did hatch. It's assumed they made their way to sea. It might have been a rainy night which would explain why there were no signs.

DNA testing over the years has revealed that there is one turtle who lays her eggs here every year. This one turtle only has a twenty percent hatchling rate. I find that both sad and fascinating at the same time.

I'd like to say thanks to the rangers and volunteers who work to protect the sea turtle population.