Sea turtles have long been dying out or threatened and there are only seven kinds of sea turtles left in the world, because of hunting and pollution. However the population of sea turtles just jumped at San Diego‘s SeaWorld.
Approximately 82 eggs hatched in October. Before this the last successful hatching took place at SeaWorld in 2003 but there were only 21 sea turtles. Park staff had incubated the eggs to try and increase the chances of hatching and after 21, staff felt they were successful.
Well this time around the Park Staff opted not to incubate them and let nature do its thing. The baby sea turtles hatched on Shipwreck Beach without any assistance from park staff. The turtles hatched on October 5 from ping pong sized eggs. Ever since, the babies have been gradually developing and will be on display at the park before the end of the year.
Because so many eggs hatched this year at SeaWorld the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will settle on whether the new turtles stay at SeaWorld and if the turtles will be allowed to mate again next year. There are already 30 adult sea turtles at the park including three green females and one male. These adults range in age between 40 and 50 but they usually live to be over 100 years.
These turtles are in their prime for reproduction which means the park doesn’t know if these baby turtles are from the same mother or many. All three females had hidden eggs in the sand on the beach. Consequently in order to determine who the mother is, the baby sea turtles will be undergoing genetic testing. Staff will also be digging up Shipwreck Beach in order to see how many eggs failed to hatch.
Little is known about sea turtles but experts know they mate in the water, then go up onto the sand. While on the sand the female will dig three different holes in order to fool predators but they end up laying their eggs in only one hole.
The nest in the sand generally holds between 100 and 120 eggs. Then the eggs develop in the sand for three months. Depending on how warm or cold the sand is will determine the sex of each baby. The babies when they hatch only weigh a few grams but can reach 250 pounds by the age of 20. The babies diet consists of squid, krill, shrimp, and special pellets provided by SeaWorld staff.
Although there are only seven species of sea turtles and they are all in danger of extinction or threatened; these babies will help make a rebound. Since humans are the major problem for this species it will take a lot for them to be removed from the endangered list but sea turtles are gradually making their way back.
Diane Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Utah. She likes to write about the news, politics, online degree, Distance Learning, and the college experience.
