INVENTORY ON NEST #1 , THE KEMPS RIDLEY NEST 95 % HATCH RATE

 ON MAY 4TH, A KEMPS RIDLEY, THE MOST ENDANGERED SEA TURTLE,  NESTED LATE IN AFTERNOON ON NMB.  THIS IS A VERY RARE OCCURRENCE,  ONLY THE 7th DOCUMENTED NEST IN SC IN 30 YEARS.  A KEMPS NEST WAS FOUND ON NMB IN 2020.     PRETTY EXCITING NEWS FOR SC,  

THE KEMPS ARE UNIQUE AS THEY TYPICALLY NEST DURING THE DAY.  THE NMB STP VOLUNTEERS, WITH THE HELP FROM THE NMB OCEAN RESCUE WERE ABLE TO PROTECT THIS NESTING KEMPS AS SHE WAS NESTING.  ALL SPECTATORS WERE AT SAFE DISTANCE AWAY AND WERE QUIET AND VERY RESPECTFUL.

THE NEST WAS PROTECTED WITH A CAGE, ENSURING NOTHING COULD DISTURB THE INCUBATING EGGS.   SOMETIME, LATE AT NIGHT OR EARLY MORNING, ON DAY 66  OF INCUBATION, THE HATCHLINGS EMERGED AND MADE THIER WAY TO THE OCEAN.  AS IT WAS VERY WINDY, EVIDENCE OF EMERGENCE WERE QUICKLY ERASED, ONLY A HALF SAND FILLED  WIDE HOLE, INDICATING A MAJOR EMERGENCE, WAS LEFT.   

AS SEA TURTLES ARE ENDANGERED AND PROTECTED, THERE ARE VERY STRICT GUIDLINES FROM SC DNR, THE NEST WAS INVENTORIED ON TUESDAY.  THIS WAIT TIME BETWEEN THE EMERGENCE AND INVENTORY WILL ENSURE THAT ANY HATCHLINGS, INCLUDING ANY NEEDING A LITTLE MORE TIME, HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO FINISH DEVELOPING AND MAKING IT TO THE OCEAN ON THERE OWN.

THE NEST IS INVENTORIED, AND VERY CAFEFULLY DOCUMENTED, ALL EGGS ARE COUNTED, EGGS THAT ARE FULLY HATCHED, AND WHOLE UNHATCED EGGS. THIS INFORMATION WILL BE ENTERED IN A DATABASE, WHICH WILL BE USED TO HELP IN THE CONSERVATION AND SURVIVAL OF THE SEA TURTLE SPECIES.

ONE EGG WAS WHOLE AND UNFERTILIZED

DURING THE INVENTORY, A WHOLE EGG IS OPENED AND A HATCHLING THAT DIED IN

LATE DEVELOPMENT IS FOUND

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YOU CAN SEE IN THIS PICTURE THE YOLK SAC .  WHEN THE HATCHLINGS FIRST BREAK OUT OF THIER EGGS, THIER CARRAPACE (SHELL) IS STILL CURVED. THE HATCHLINGS WILL SPEND 3-5 DAYS UNDER ABSORBING THE YOLK SACK, DURING THIS TIME THE CARAPACE WILL ALSO STRAIGHTEN, BEFORE THEY MAKE THIER WAY UP TO THE SURFACE.

A VERY NICE GROUP, OF PEOPLE HAVE COME TO THE INVENTORY, ALL VERY EXCITED AND HAVING MANY QUESTIONS FOR THE NMB STP VOLUNTEERS.

THE KIDS ALSO HAVE MANY QUESTIONS, VERY EXCITED TO LEARN ALL ABOUT THE SEA TURTLES. THEY ARE AMAZED AS THE LEARN THAT THIS DEEP HOLE WAS DUG BY THE MOTHER USING JUST HER BACK FLIPPERS

                               

RESULTS FROM INVENTORY ARE VERY GOOD

95% HATCHLING RATE!!!!!!!!

 94 HATCHED EGGS

4 UNHATCHED OR WHOLE EGGS:

OF THE UNHATCHED EGGS 1 WAS NEVER FERTILIZED

 

2 WERE COLLAPSED OR SUNKEN, DIED IN EARLY DEVELOPMENT

1 FULLY DEVELOPED DEAD HATCHLING, WITH YOLK SAC ATTACHED

If you see a nesting sea turtle, or stranding in NMB or Briarcliffe please call the 

NMB STP Hotline

843-213-9074

Any time day or night