Sea Turtles at the Seashore

To date, 155 sea turtle nests have been documented. (See http://www.seaturtle.org)  July is typically the peak month for these ocean creatures to come ashore and deposit one hundred or more leathery ping pong ball-sized eggs per nest.  In approximately 55 to 60 days, a turtle nest "boil" will occur releasing the hatchlings from their warm, sandy nest.  

Four species of sea turtles have been known to nest at Cape Hatteras National Seashore – the loggerhead (Caretta caretta), green (Chelonia mydas), leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), and Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii).

Photo credit: National Park Service