Too weak to make it to the ocean, hatchlings died.
PHILIPSBURG--An ATV on the beach may have damaged a sea turtle nest, Nature Foundation St. Maarten found after retrieving 111 dead hatchlings from a disturbed nest on Gibbs Bay.
The ATV’s vibrations may have caused the hatchlings to hatch prematurely, Nature Foundation said. “Hatchlings are triggered to leave their eggs and hatch by vibrations, usually created by other hatchlings breaking out of the eggshells. They do this because it makes them hatch all at the same time, increasing their chance of survival when faced with threats like birds or crabs. Because the eggs probably were not ready to hatch yet, the hatchlings were too weak to properly come out of their egg and exit the nest.”
After Nature Foundation staff took care of the nest by releasing as many live hatchlings as possible into the ocean, the surroundings were checked to see what might have caused the damage to this nest. ATV tracks were encountered at an arm’s length from the nest.
This nest was found during regular weekly patrols during which the staff searches for signs of sea turtle activity, like nests and tracks. While patrolling Gibbs Bay a hole was encountered which looked different than usual and it was checked just to be sure.
“When the hole was dug up, it turned out to be a turtle nest with some live hatchlings still in it. However, the hatchlings’ shells were weirdly shaped, and they did not seem to have much energy,” Nature Foundation said. “Aside from the misshaped hatchlings, the mortality rate of the nest was extremely high. Most of the dead hatchlings were still in their egg with just their head sticking out.”
Misshapen hatchlings and high mortality rates are signs that the nest was disturbed, Nature Foundation explained. “Please do not drive any vehicle on the beach. It does great damage to the ecosystem and sea turtle nests. If you encounter any sea turtle activity, please notify the Nature Foundation immediately.”
