Photo by Ken Taylor 



A mother turtle dutifully lays her eggs 



Turtles' survival threatened 



the loggerhead closely she will prod the 

 sand with her nose as if to test it. Re- 

 cent research suggests that may be ex- 

 actly what she's doing. Scientists 

 believe the turtle is testing the sand's 

 moisture content, grain size and tem- 

 perature to find just the right spot for 

 her eggs. 



The turtles are skittish creatures. 

 Unusual sounds and lights will turn 

 the mother turtle back to the sea, leav- 

 ing behind only her tracks, called a 

 "false crawl." But she will usually 

 emerge from the ocean again. 



Once a mother turtle has begun 

 digging her nest and laying her eggs 

 she can not be deterred from her task 

 by any amount of noise or light. After 

 choosing the right place, the turtle 

 backs up to her spot and digs her nest 

 with her flippers. 



"She swishes the sand back and 

 forth with her back flippers," says 

 Hopkins. "You can hear her flippers 

 working. As she begins to dig deeper 

 she scoops the sand with first her right 

 and then her left flipper as she digs out 

 her hole. She's very dexterous with 

 those flippers. They're like hands." 



The loggerhead will dig a nest about 

 18 inches deep into the base of the 

 dunes, just above the high tide mark. 

 She forms the nest in the shape of a 

 flask. "As the turtle completes her 

 digging, she urinates on the sides of the 

 cavity," Crouse says. "The moisture 

 allows the turtle to pack the sand and 

 shape it the way she likes." 



Crouse says researchers are unsure 

 about the significance of the shape of 

 the nest. Some scientists believe the 

 shape may aid the hatchlings in climb- 

 ing out of the nest. Or, it may keep the 

 nest from becoming too packed. Until 

 some answers are found, Crouse 

 believes only nests in danger of 

 destruction should be moved. 



When the digging and the shaping 

 are complete, the turtle plunks the 

 eggs into the nest two and three at a 

 time until about 120 fill the cavity. 



Once her task is complete, the turtle 

 begins sweeping sand in the hole, 

 Hopkins says. "Then she rouses up 

 and plunks her body down on top of 

 the nest like she is packing down the 

 eggs. Finally she crosses her back flip- 

 pers and gives the nest a little 'umph'. 

 She moves away, throwing sand with 

 her front flippers over her back to 

 cover the site." 



The mother turtle then labors back 

 to the sea. 



Can a creature who survived the age 

 of dinosaurs to live 150 million years 

 survive the age of man? The question 

 has provoked scientists and manage- 

 ment officials to try and save the dwin- 

 dling populations of endangered and 

 threatened sea turtles. 



Off the North Carolina coast, five 

 types of sea turtles can be found in 

 varying numbers — the green turtle, 

 the loggerhead, the leatherback, the 

 hawksbill and the Atlantic ridley. The 

 green and loggerhead turtles are listed 

 as threatened under the U.S. En- 

 dangered Species Act while the 

 leatherbacks, hawksbills and Atlantic 

 ridleys are listed as endangered. Those 

 species listed as endangered are the 

 ones scientists believe will probably 

 become extinct unless changes are 

 made. Threatened species are in less 

 trouble, but they could easily become 

 endangered if their populations are not 

 revived. Many experts believe the 



Atlantic ridley is just a step away from 

 extinction. 



Many factors have led to the demise 

 of sea turtles, but probably the most 

 critical problem has been the over- 

 development of beaches. Areas where 

 the turtles once nested in solitude are 

 now clustered with motels, con- 

 dominiums, amusement parks and 

 people — not exactly choice spots for a 

 cache of 120 sea turtle eggs. 



Not only is overdevelopment rob- 

 bing the adult sea turtle of its nesting 

 grounds, but it also is causing serious 

 problems for hatchling turtles. After 

 pecking their way out of their shells 

 and unearthing themselves from their 

 nests, usually at night, they head for 

 the ocean — perhaps drawn to the 

 gleam on the water. But Frank 

 Schwartz says the tiny turtles can 

 easily be lured off track by other light 



Continued on next page 



