File:Coast watch (1979) (20666088481).jpg

Title: Coast watch
Identifier: coastwatch00uncs_0 (find matches)
Year: 1979 (1970s)
Authors: UNC Sea Grant College Program
Subjects: Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology
Publisher: (Raleigh, N. C. : UNC Sea Grant College Program)
Contributing Library: State Library of North Carolina
Digitizing Sponsor: North Carolina Digital Heritage Center

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
Photo by Ken Taylor
Text Appearing After Image:
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

Note About Images