Rare sea turtles are smashing nesting records this summer on beaches in the Southeast, with scientists crediting the egg-laying boom to conservation measures that began more than 30 years ago. Giant loggerhead sea turtles weighing up to 300 pounds (136 kilograms) crawl ashore to dig nests in the sand
1 / 3Sea Turtles NestingIn this July 5, 2019, photo provided by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, a loggerhead sea turtle returns to the ocean after nesting on Ossabaw Island, Ga. The giant, federally protected turtles are having an egg-laying boom on beaches in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, where scientists have counted record numbers of nests this summer. SAVANNAH, Ga.
"My laboratory is almost floor-to-ceiling in samples right now," said University of Georgia professor Joe Nairn, who studies adult female turtles using DNA extracted from eggshell samples taken from each loggerhead nest found in the three states."It's pretty obvious to us that this is a big year." Loggerhead nesting along Georgia's 100-mile coast hit its low point in 2004 with fewer than 400 nests.
Story continuesScientists suspect those decades-old efforts are showing big results now because female loggerheads don't reach full maturity and start nesting until they're about 30 years old. Results of DNA testing on sea turtle eggs conducted at the University of Georgia back up the idea that more female loggerheads are reaching maturity and starting to nest. Since 2010, survey teams in Georgia and the Carolinas have collected one egg from each nest they find and sent the shell to Nairn's lab.
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