Page 73 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #10

SEA TURTLE NESTS

Clockwise from importance of dark
right: volunteers beaches – lights
including Pete scare females and
Gross (in grey cap) can draw hatchlings
examine a nest away from the sea;
to see how many a nest at night,
turtle eggs have with light pollution
hatched; anatomy behind; Suzi Fox,
of a sea turtle the director of AMI
nest; a sign on the Turtle Watch.

Shiting sands: O An adult female will nest 2–10 times
each season.
Sea turtle nests O A turtle nest is 45–55cm deep.
O It is excavated using the back flippers
and covered again by throwing over
sand with the front flippers.
O Each nest contains 50–200 eggs,
depending on species. The eggs hatch
one and a half to two months later.
O The most common nester at Anna
Maria Island is the loggerhead, below.

Laying eggs: A & J Visage/Alamy

October 2018 BBC Wildlife 73