I think I have mentioned on the blog before how much my mom LOVES sea turtles. She has a slight obsession. Anyway, a couple of years ago she discovered a group called S.C.U.T.E. that basically is a group of volunteers in South Carolina that goes out each day, looks for turtle nests and then watches for the turtles to hatch. SCUTE stands for South Carolina United Turtle Enthusiasts. They have a facebook page that they use to tell you where nests are that have been laid, when they are hatching or have hatched and allow you to be a part of it.
After the mama turtle lays the nest, the volunteers place protection around it and it basically sits for about 55-60 days. It looks like this after they finish their work:
Another cool fact is that the eggs are laid gender-neutral and the temperature of the sand determines their sex. Boys are in the cool sand..."cool guys" and the females are in the hotter sand..."hot females".
Anyway, after the little turtles hatch, the volunteers plan to excavate the nest 2-3 days later. Excavation means that they dig up the nest to see how many empty egg shells are their (how many turtles hatched) and if there are any babies stuck in the sand that haven't been able to get out. They are trying to see the percent success of the nests and try to improve on the success of the nests throughout the year.
My mom, Ryan and I went to an excavation when we were at the beach last week. They were able to find 2 babies that were stuck in the nest. They passed a bucket with the baby turtles in it around so that everyone could have a peek at them and then they dumped the turtles out and we all watched as they made their journey to the water.
SCUTE volunteers digging up the nest
Mom...aka "The Turtle Whisperer"
Baby turtles
Another picture of the turtles
Baby turtles just dumped...in upper right corner...do you see them??? So small...
Go, go, go
Keep going....
It was a neat experience. Last year, some of the girls in my family and myself got to witness a nest hatch at night with about 80 of the little babies coming out. It was awesome, but no flash photography allowed.
Mom, Ryan and I went out to eat at the beach at my favorite place down there, Franks. We were celebrating Ryan's promotion...way to go, Ry!!
Mom and I before dinner
My love and me
It was a fun couple of days!!! You know, I love the beach. And, turtles. And, Ryan. And, spending time with my mom. So, all around...a great time!!
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