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Between June and August, females can lay up to five clutches with one to four eggs per clutch. [11] [12] Larger females tend to have larger eggs and more eggs per clutch. [11] Females lay their eggs on the shore, in holes 8–15 cm (3.1–5.9 in) deep. [11] Hatchlings typically have a carapace length of 2.47 cm (0.97 in). [11]
Sea turtles usually lay around 100 eggs at a time, but on average only one of the eggs from the nest will survive to adulthood. [135] Raccoons, foxes, and seabirds may raid nests or hatchlings may be eaten within minutes of hatching as they make their initial run for the ocean. [ 136 ]
Many turtles from the same beaches show up at the same feeding areas. Once reaching sexual maturity in the Atlantic Oceans, the female Loggerhead makes the long trip back to her natal beach to lay her eggs. The Loggerhead sea turtle in the North Atlantic cover more than 9,000 miles round trip to lay eggs on the North American shore.
On occasion, on a walk with Loggerhead Marinelife Center, you might even see baby sea turtles hatch from their eggs and scurry to the ocean, which usually emerge in groups of 80 to 120 hatchlings.
About 50% of female sea turtles complete "false crawls," which occur when they crawl onto the beach but return to the water without laying eggs.
Like other sea turtles, green sea turtles migrate long distances between feeding grounds and hatching beaches. Many islands worldwide are known as Turtle Island due to green sea turtles nesting on their beaches. Females crawl out on beaches, dig nests, and lay eggs during the night. Later, hatchlings emerge, and scramble into the water.
More than 8,000 sea turtle nests were logged across South Carolina beaches in 2022, the second-most ever documented. But threats to habitat and continued development are threats.
While most species build nests and lay eggs where they forage, some travel miles. The common snapping turtle walks 5 km (3 mi) on land, while sea turtles travel even further; the leatherback swims some 12,000 km (7,500 mi) to its nesting beaches. [13] [89] Most turtles create a nest for their eggs. Females usually dig a flask-like chamber in ...