Post by adrenand on Jun 16, 2017 17:37:17 GMT -4
All sea turtles follow the same basic pattern of depositing their nests. Small discrepancies exist between species in terms of nest habitat selection, depth of cavity, number of body pits, and number of clutches and eggs laid per season. To witness this special event is miraculous and I have seen tears come to the eyes of many observers. It is quite a sight to see and worth every minute of sleep you will lose in the process of waiting for this nocturnal feat.
The process begins as the mother turtle emerges from the dark depths of the ocean. This graceful and elegant aquatic creature becomes quite cumbersome as she leaves the safety of the environment of which she is well equipped. But she is determined. She drags herself up the beach in search of a place to safely deposit her clutch of eggs.
Upon selecting a suitable nest site, she begins to clear the area for excavation. It appears as though she is making snow angels as she removes the top layer of soft sand and leaf litter from the ground. After she clears an acceptable body pit, she begins to dig the nest cavity.
Scoop by scoop, she removes the sand from the beach with her rear flippers, creating small mounds on either side of her body. The dexterity of her rear flippers is remarkable and somewhat resembles a hand in a baseball glove. She digs until she can no longer reach and then begins to round out the bottom of the cavity. Upon completion, her nest resembles an upside-down light bulb.
She then appears to fall in to a trance as if she's received nature's epidural. Her eyes are watering as she lays her clutch of eggs. This clutch may contain somewhere between 100-200 eggs. Although the thought that her eyes are watering because she will never see her babies again is very heartwarming, it is more likely that she is excreting salt from a gland in her eye. Her tears might also aid in protecting her eyes from the sand.
Soon after she finishes laying her eggs, she jumps out of her trance and re-fills the cavity, scoop by scoop. She then begins to 'patty-cake' her nest, compressing the sand above the nest with all of her weight. Personally, this is my favorite part of the nesting process.
Once her nest is sufficiently packed, she begins to camouflage the entire site, throwing sand in every direction to protect her nest from predators.
Her job is done and she heads back to the ocean to wait another two weeks before she comes back and does it all over again.
Hawksbills will return to their natal beaches every 2-4 years and nest anywhere between 1-9 times during a season.
-Adren Anderson
The process begins as the mother turtle emerges from the dark depths of the ocean. This graceful and elegant aquatic creature becomes quite cumbersome as she leaves the safety of the environment of which she is well equipped. But she is determined. She drags herself up the beach in search of a place to safely deposit her clutch of eggs.
Upon selecting a suitable nest site, she begins to clear the area for excavation. It appears as though she is making snow angels as she removes the top layer of soft sand and leaf litter from the ground. After she clears an acceptable body pit, she begins to dig the nest cavity.
Scoop by scoop, she removes the sand from the beach with her rear flippers, creating small mounds on either side of her body. The dexterity of her rear flippers is remarkable and somewhat resembles a hand in a baseball glove. She digs until she can no longer reach and then begins to round out the bottom of the cavity. Upon completion, her nest resembles an upside-down light bulb.
She then appears to fall in to a trance as if she's received nature's epidural. Her eyes are watering as she lays her clutch of eggs. This clutch may contain somewhere between 100-200 eggs. Although the thought that her eyes are watering because she will never see her babies again is very heartwarming, it is more likely that she is excreting salt from a gland in her eye. Her tears might also aid in protecting her eyes from the sand.
Soon after she finishes laying her eggs, she jumps out of her trance and re-fills the cavity, scoop by scoop. She then begins to 'patty-cake' her nest, compressing the sand above the nest with all of her weight. Personally, this is my favorite part of the nesting process.
Once her nest is sufficiently packed, she begins to camouflage the entire site, throwing sand in every direction to protect her nest from predators.
Her job is done and she heads back to the ocean to wait another two weeks before she comes back and does it all over again.
Hawksbills will return to their natal beaches every 2-4 years and nest anywhere between 1-9 times during a season.
-Adren Anderson