The Atlantic Ocean welcomed nearly 10,000 baby sea turtle hatchlings this year from the beaches of Little St. Simons Island.
The island was home to 125 Loggerhead Sea Turtle nests and two Green Sea Turtle nests. In total, the sea turtles laid more than 14,000 eggs. The average nest included 115 eggs and took 58 days to hatch. Mary Bresnihan, the seasonal turtle tech from the Department of Natural Resources, spent four months identifying new nests, assessing their progress, and taking inventory of hatched nests across the islands seven miles of beach.
The barrier island off the Georgia coast was home to what Bresnihan calls a “super nester” this year. The turtle was responsible for laying nests Nos. 34 and 62. Bresnihan noted that this one sea turtle has nested on the island every other year for at least a decade.
“She has the largest average clutch size, with 153 eggs per nest, of any Little St. Simons nesting turtles,” Bresnihan noted. “This year, she had her largest clutch ever, with 182 eggs. This exceptional turtle also holds another Little St. Simons Island record: she is the only known turtle to lay nests two nights in a row. In 2008, she laid a nest with 166 eggs and then returned the very next day to lay another new nest with 88 eggs. This is an impressive statistic, considering most turtles will wait a week or more before depositing a new clutch.”
Bresnihan shared since most turtles return to their natal beaches to nest, it’s likely that this sea turtle hatched on Little St. Simons Island or one of the nearby islands decades ago.
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