CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- What we do:
Base Wildlife, specifically the Threatened & Endangered (T&E) Species Section, monitors Onslow Beach daily from May through October every morning looking for sea turtle activity. Staff members look for adult turtle tracks that lead to potential nests. They search for eggs to determine if the crawl is indeed a nest. Once a clutch of eggs is located, the staff then determines if the nest needs to be relocated. Nests laid below the high tide line or laid in designated amphibious training areas on the beach must be moved. The staff then places a cage over both natural and relocated nests to deter predators from finding the eggs. The eggs incubate for about sixty days. The staff then monitor the beach for hatchling tracks. Several days after the nest hatches, the nest is inventoried. All actions conducted by Base Wildlife are in accordance to permits obtained by federal and state agencies.
Loggerhead sea turtle:
- Most common species on Onslow Beach
- Listed as Endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
- Medium hard-shelled sea turtle species known for their large heads and powerful jaws
- Weighs 175 to 300 pounds and grows to be 2.5 to 3.5 feet long
- Eats hard-shelled animals like welks and conchs
- Most common nesting species in NC
Nesting & Hatchlings:
Adult female sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs from May 1 to August 31. Females use their flippers to remove dry sand and dig chambers in the moist sand to lay and cover the eggs. Once the eggs are covered, nesting females return to the water. Nesting mothers can nest up to 6 times a season, but each sea turtle has individual nesting behaviors. Mothers do not tend to eggs nor care for their young once they hatch, they leave the eggs in the sand to incubate alone. The eggs incubate for around sixty days. The temperature of the sand during development determines the sex of the hatchlings. Typically, warmer sand results in female hatchlings, and cooler sand results in male hatchlings. After sixty days, the hatchlings begin to emerge from the chamber. Hatchlings can emerge from July 1 to October 31. Once emerged, the hatchlings follow the moonlight to the sea. Hatchlings must dodge terrestrial predators on the beach. After the hatchlings make it into the water, they still must make it past many more aquatic predators. Surviving hatchlings swim toward the Sargasso Sea in the Atlantic Ocean. Hatchlings live in the Sargasso Sea for one to ten years. The sargassum seaweed provides them shelter and food to grow. Sea turtles continue to grow until they reach sexual maturity at thirty years old. Once sea turtles reach sexual maturity, the cycle continues!
Common Questions:
Q: “How long do sea turtles live?”
A: 50-100 years in the wild
Q: “How many hatchlings make it?”
A: About 1 in 1000 hatchlings make it to adulthood to successfully reproduce
Q: “How do you know where nesting turtles have laid their eggs?”
A: Nesting mothers leave large tracks to follow
Q: “What are sea turtle hatchlings’ predators?”
A: Birds, coyotes, crabs, foxes, dogs, large fish, and raccoons
Q: “Why don’t you tag hatchlings?”
A: External tags would fall off and internal tags are too big for their bodies
Q: “What do turtle eggs look like?”
A: Soft, white ping pong balls
Additional Information:
Seeing nesting mothers coming ashore to lay eggs at night May – August is NORMAL, it is best to view her from AFAR. DO NOT APPROACH A NESTING TURTLE.
On Onslow Beach, hatchlings leave the nest naturally. Seeing hatchlings on the beach at night during July – October is NORMAL, it is best to view them from AFAR.
Under the Endangered Species Act, touching and disturbing any endangered species is HARRASSMENT and is ILLEGAL!
Base Wildlife understands that seeing sea turtles is an amazing, once in a life-time experience. Staff members want you to enjoy these extraordinary creatures, but we want you to do it appropriately.
**If you see or get a report of any sea turtle at an unusual time of day, out of season, or a stranded or dead sea turtle, please contact Base Wildlife**
(910) 381-4370 or for general information, contact CLJN_TE@usmc.mil