Sea Turtles

As Hurricane Erin pelted North Carolina’s barrier islands with strong winds and waves, it destroyed many nests of threatened sea turtles. The waves buried the eggs deep in sand or washed them out to sea. On Topsail Island more than half the 43 loggerhead turtle nests were lost this week. The storm also likely wiped out eight of the 10 remaining nests on Emerald Isle. Loggerheads are threatened in the U.S. due to bycatch from fishing. But conservation groups can do little to keep nests safe during a hurricane given North Carolina’s strict laws about keeping the sea turtle hatching process natural.

The study, published in scientific journal Nature, is the first to find empirical evidence for the “magnetic mapping” ability.

Officials say scores of sea turtles stunned by cold temperatures along the North Carolina coast have died. The North Carolina State University Center for Marine Sciences and Technology says it took in 109 cold-stunned sea turtles from Cape Lookout on Sunday, but only 36 survived.

It's been a record-breaking year for sea turtles in Florida. Just as they have for millions of years, the turtles have crawled onto beaches, digging pits in the sand to lay their eggs. Florida's preliminary count shows more than 133,840 loggerhead turtle nests and 76,500 green turtle nests, breaking records set years ago. Other southeastern U.S. states also report high numbers. But only one in 1,000 hatchlings lives to adulthood and climate change is threatening their species as beaches disappear under rising seas. Hotter sand makes more females, and the hatchlings are smaller and slower. Experts say their future remains ominous.

Cape Hatteras National Seashore is also hoping to break last year’s overall record of 379 total sea turtle nests.

There were 70 nests at the same time last year. The National Park Service says healthy sea turtle populations are important indicators of healthy ocean habitats.

Hundreds of sea turtles climb onto North Carolina’s shores to lay eggs each year. The state has about 330 miles of ocean-facing beach that is potential…

Hundreds of sea turtles climb onto North Carolina’s shores to lay eggs each year. The state has about 330 miles of ocean-facing beach that is potential…

As scientists loaded up a dive boat on the Morehead City waterfront recently for a trip offshore to study artificial reefs, six plastic storage bins came…

The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center in Surf City, North Carolina, has 23 recuperating turtles right now.Surf City is about 30…