As a followup to my blog post the other day describing the unprecedented relocation of thousands of sea turtle eggs, we have photos showing a turtle nest being dug out and relocated.
In this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service photo by Bonnie Strawser, people are removing sea turtle eggs from a nest on the Fort Morgan Peninsula on June 27, 2010 at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in Alabama.
Moving sea turtle eggs after they’ve been laid is a very delicate operation. If the egg is turned over or rolled, it will kill the embryo.
However, the nests in Alabama and northwest Florida closest to the BP oil site are being removed, to at least assure that some of the hatchlings would survive. Leaving the nests there could spell certain doom for these turtles.
According to the plan, the eggs will be moved after they’ve incubated for at least 49 days. The eggs should be ready to hatch at the 60 day mark, and moving the eggs at this late point should prove to be less of a risk for the reptiles.
The eggs will be moved to a climate-controlled facility at the Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County until the hatchlings emerge. All the hatchlings will be brought to a local beach to be released.
Scientists don’t know how this will affect the reptiles in the future. Mother turtles are known to return to their home beach to nest and scientists don’t know if the turtles would return to the Gulf coast, where their eggs were originally laid, or to Brevard County, where they hatched.