Mild December weather leads to latest turtle nest on record in North Carolina
Most female green sea turtles lay their eggs in the warmer months from May through September, according to the NPS.
FILE: Conservation teams survey Florida beaches for sea turtle nests
FOX Weather's Brandy Campbell joined the Broward County Sea Turtle Conservation Program as they survey the beach for new sea turtle nests.
A green sea turtle nest was discovered by National Park Service biologists in Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina, on Monday.
"This is a rare occurrence as it's the latest laid sea turtle nest found at Cape Hatteras National Seashore," park officials said in a Facebook post. They added that the nest is the latest ever recorded for the Tar Heel State.
Green sea turtle eggs within a nest. Dec. 3, 2023.
(M. Baker / National Park Service / FOX Weather)
For reference, the previous late nesting record for both the state and the Seashore happened more than three years ago, on Oct. 31, 2020.
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The NPS noted how, based on the turtle’s crawl patterns on the sand, she crawled erratically before deciding where to lay her eggs.
The crawl tracks of the green sea turtle. Dec. 3, 2023.
(M. Baker / National Park Service / FOX Weather)
"We aren’t the only ones that have been enjoying this mild weather in December!" they said.
Most female green sea turtles lay their eggs in the warmer months from May through September, according to the NPS. They lay their eggs on sandy beaches, specifically at night.
A female may lay approximately 100 eggs in her nest, and they will incubate for about 60 days, the NPS noted.
FILE: A green sea turtle burying her nest.
(National Park Service / FOX Weather)
The sex of the hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the sand where the females lay their eggs. According to the NPS, warmer sand will develop mostly females, while cooler sand produces mostly males.
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Officials noted that, as a result of this, the Cape Hatteras National Seashore coastline produces a large portion of the male population for the entire North Atlantic sub-population, which runs from the Florida-Georgia border to Virginia.
FILE: A green sea turtle hatchling.
(National Park Service / FOX Weather)
The green sea turtle is the largest hard-shelled sea turtle, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The turtles grow to a maximum size of about 4 feet and weigh as much as 440 pounds.
Found throughout the world, the turtles nest in over 80 countries, according to NOAA.