Kemp’s ridleys don’t nest in NC… at least that’s what we used to say. For the third year in a row the Outer Banks has had Kemp’s nests confirmed on its beaches. At 10:30 NEST got a call from Duck Ocean Rescue saying, “There’s a turtle laying eggs on the beach right now, and it’s definitely a sea turtle!”
Kemp's Ridley Crawl (you can see her still on the beach at the end of the crawl)
KC immediately called Jackie (who lives blocks from the location) to run out and get some photos to confirm her suspicions that it was a Kemp’s (ridleys are daytime nesters unlike the other species who typically lay at night). The call went out and nesting responders arrived on scene. As the nesting response team arrived, the turtle finished her nest and headed back to the ocean.
Kemp's ridley laying eggs around 10:30 AM
Two years ago, NEST observed a Kemp’s laying eggs on the side of the dune in Corolla. People wondered if this could be the same mom but our new mom’s shell had distinct notches along the margins of the carapace that the Corolla turtle did not. Sometimes biologists notch the side of turtle shell’s for mark-recapture studies. They file small notches on the side scutes in particular patterns to indicate individuals or year-classes of animals. WRC biologist suggested that perhaps this turtle had been notched as a hatchling (as a sort of living tag) and is looking into the possibility that the age of this animal is known. We hope to be updating this story with some exciting news (fingers crossed!).
Notice the notches along the margins of the carapace. These either occurred as the animal interacted in her environment or it could be a living tag made by biologists when she was a hatchling.