What hasn't happened in modern times: World's rarest sea turtle lays eggs in Texas

Kemp's Ridley, the world's rarest sea turtle, recently surprised scientists when laying eggs on a beach in Texas, USA.

According to Newsweek, about 45 Kemp's Ridley turtle eggs were discovered on Magnolia Beach in Calhoun County, Texas, this month. This is the smallest and rarest of the sea turtles.

A Kemp's Ridley female turtle on Padre Island, Texas, USA

The discovery of the turtles on Magnolia Beach happened to coincide with International Sea Turtle Week - which takes place every year from June 8 to 16.

Dr Pamela Plotkin, a sea turtle biologist and director of the Texas Sea Grant Institute, said the rare find suggests there may be more undiscovered turtle nests along the Texas Gulf Coast.

"This has never happened in modern times. Sea turtles often nest on barrier island beaches in Texas, so seeing a turtle nest on a beach inside the bay is rare. Many kilometers of shoreline. Bays along the coast of Texas are uninhabited, so it is possible that sea turtles nest on these shores more often and go undetected," Plotkin said in a statement released by the School of Geosciences. at Texas A&M University.

The statement called the find a "conservative success".

Currently, the turtle eggs have hatched and the baby turtles have successfully entered the water. Humans have assisted the turtles in their journey from the sand to the water.

"For sea turtles, the period after hatching is a battle for survival. In the first moments of life, baby turtles must quickly travel from their nest in the sand to the surface of the water, helping to avoid predators. , poaching, pollution and other hazards," the statement said.

Ms. Plotkin said female sea turtles can lay about 90-100 eggs. However, they leave the nest for a long time before the eggs hatch. Therefore, when hatching, baby turtles are vulnerable to other animals such as seagulls.

According to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Kemp's Ridley is the world's smallest sea turtle, as well as the most endangered. They occur mainly in the Gulf of Mexico but can also be found in the Atlantic Ocean as far north as the province of Nova Scotia (Canada).

The population of these turtles dropped to a record low in 1985, when less than 250 females were believed to lay eggs, but has since rebounded thanks to conservation efforts.