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Kemp's ridley hatchlings crawl to Gulf

Trained Padre Island National Seashore staff and volunteers offer visitors at the release, a unique opportunity, viewing a Kemp's Ridley turtle hatchling up close.
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  • Originally published August 18, 2009 at midnight, updated August 19, 2009 at 4:45 p.m.

At dawn on July 23, a crowd watched 240 newly-hatched sea turtles crawl down Padre Island National Seashore's beach to the Gulf of Mexico's waters.

Most of the hatchlings were Kemp's Ridley sea turtles, the most endangered sea turtle species. A few were green sea turtles. Hatchlings from three different nests crawled to the waters where they'll spend their lives.

Males never return to land. A female returns just long enough to crawl up the beach, dig a nest, lay eggs, cover the nest, and crawl back to the Gulf. She averages 45 minutes on land.

Why a hatchling release occurs

These hatchlings came from eggs found in three nests laid along the coast about six weeks earlier. Volunteers - turtle patrollers - or some paid assistants, patrolling our beaches found a nest, and maybe also the female who laid the eggs.

Sea turtles that are found are checked for health and ID tags. They weigh 80-100 pounds and must be held on the beach long enough for the exam. Dead and unhealthy turtles are taken to a care facility.

Eggs found in nests are relocated to Padre Island National Seashore's incubation facility to prevent their natural predators, such as ants, crabs, feral hogs and coyotes, from eating them.

How to see a release

Our California visitors wanted to see hatchlings released. So we called the Turtle Hot Line to see if a release was expected before they left July 24.

The recorded announcement first said chances were good, and then on June 22, said there would be a release the next day. It gave instructions for attending. We headed to Corpus Christi that evening.

We left Corpus at 5:30 a.m. and headed to Padre Island National Seashore for the release. As July 23, dawned, a PINS interpreter described finding eggs, incubating them, then releasing the newborns.

We walked to the release area marked off on the beach. The 20-foot-wide release area formed a corridor to the water, cordoned off, with a net held 10 feet above it.

What a release involves

Volunteers assisting with the release, held up the net using poles along its edges. Outside the area, other volunteers waved taller poles sporting plastic streamers of orange tape, like that used to seal off areas such as construction sites. They help ward off gulls and other birds who might try to snatch a hatchling for breakfast.

The PINS director and her assistant crouched on the release area's sand, moving the hatchlings to the sand from the Styrofoam containers used to carry them there.

They both followed the hatchlings down the beach, encouraging them and ensuring they went the right direction and stayed right side up.

A volunteer offered to take close-up hatchling photos for people with their cameras. Another park employee carried a hatchling that was too cold to crawl around the release area's perimeter. That gave people attending a close-up look.

After awhile in the employee's hand, the hatchling warmed up enough to crawl toward the Gulf.

The last hatchling successfully reached the water's edge two hours after the first was released.

Paul and Mary Meredith are master naturalists. Contact them at paulmary0211@sbcglobal.net.


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