An endangered sea turtle has pulled off a stunning first on the Orange County coast, laying eggs in two separate nests hundreds of miles outside the animal’s usual stomping grounds.
The female olive ridley has made history with nests documented in Seal Beach and Huntington Beach, according to NOAA Fisheries, which says it is the first documented olive ridley nest ever recorded on the West Coast.
And the turtle’s behavior has experts raising their eyebrows.
“Typically, they do it during the night. This one has been a little abnormal in the fact she came up during the day and right as the sun was setting,” Justin Viezbicke of NOAA Fisheries told ABC 7. “There is potential there could be other nests we do not know about.”
The first discovery was almost a case of mistaken identity.
Beachgoers at Seal Beach spotted what they thought was an injured turtle and called for help, sending lifeguards rushing to the scene.
Instead, they found the animal was perfectly healthy and busy digging her nest.
The turtle was later seen in Huntington Beach, where she laid another batch of eggs before slipping back into the ocean.
Officials believe the same female was responsible for both nests, making this one very long turtle road trip.
Olive ridleys typically nest much farther south, with the closest usual nesting grounds located at the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico.
Scientists believe warming ocean waters linked to El Nino likely helped draw the turtle hundreds of miles north of her normal range.
“This is our first ever documented case of a nest for an olive ridley turtle here on the West Coast,” Viezbicke said. “This is a highly endangered and protected species.”
Both nesting areas have been fenced off and marked with warning signs, while experts will continuously monitor the nests throughout the incubation period.
Beachgoers are being asked to give the protected areas plenty of space to avoid disturbing the eggs and give them the best possible chance of hatching.
Each nest is estimated to contain between 50 and 100 eggs, although there is no guarantee that hatchlings will emerge.
The incubation period lasts roughly 45 to 60 days, with temperature playing an important role in the process, leaving scientists with weeks of monitoring ahead as they wait to see whether this highly unusual California nesting attempt produces a new generation of olive ridleys.
