Green Sea Turtle ‒ Hatching

All species of sea turtles have a unique method of reproduction. Females spend their entire lives in the ocean without ever going to dry land, except during reproduction. Like most other reptiles, sea turtles lay eggs. When the time is right, females navigate vast ocean distances to return to the very beach where they were born. There, for the first time since hatching, they enter dry land and crawl up the beach. This journey usually occurs at night, as the intense tropical sun during the day would quickly overheat them in their shells. Once they reach a point above the tide line, they begin digging a hole in the sand using their flippers. This task is extremely exhausting and can take several hours. When the hole is complete, the female deposits dozens of eggs, then covers them carefully with sand, leaving no visible trace of the nest’s location. Exhausted, the females often return to the ocean with the first rays of morning sunlight. The eggs are left to develop independently, with no further help from the mother. Newly hatched sea turtles face significant challenges, first breaking free from their leathery shells and then digging through a thick layer of sand. Once they emerge, they must make the long journey across the beach to the ocean, aiming for the very spot where their mother once began her own journey into the sea.