Let’s test out your sea turtle knowledge. Do you know what species of turtle left this nest on PCB?
If you guessed loggerhead, that is a reasonable guess considering that is the most common species (1013 loggerhead nests since 1991 – current) here on our beach.
If you guessed leatherback, that is not a bad guess without size reference in the photos. They are the largest species leaving a track up to 7 foot wide. We haven’t had a leatherback nest on our beach since 2019 (14 total since 1991) but are hoping we’ll see some in the future years.
Those that guessed this is a green sea turtle crawl and nest are correct. To date since 1991, we have marked 40 green nests for protection here on PCB.
Some of the common characteristics of a green crawl/nest:
– flippers observed on the crawl are parallel as they propel themselves forward with both sides of flippers at the same time
– high on the beach or to the dunes
– a noticeable tail drag (the line down the center of the crawl)
– a deep body pit before she digs the chamber (this makes the eggs deeper), sometimes from a distance you can’t even see her on the beach she has dug so deep
– a large mound with a lot of thrown sand covering/disguising her nest
Activities performed under MTP-038