Leatherback Turtle nest 6/8/2008

[ASH]

Photo taken this morning from the rental property porch overlooking the beach.
I am told that this is the 2nd documented Leatherback nest in the history of Walton County.
It gets better, the same guy, his name is Christian, found both nests. He found the first nest last year about 100 yards from where this nest is.
That guy needs to go buy himself a lottery ticket today.

 

[aggieb]

:shock: what a monster of a leatherback.
that's awesome.

 

[Miss Kitty]

...oh, happy day! Thanks!

 

[DD]

 

[DuneLaker]

That is just fabulous. Way to go Christian and Turtle Watch!! Now everybody, turn off your lights, fill in your holes and take your junk off the beach. Please.

 

[Kurt]

Leatherbacks may have been nesting on that spot for hundreds of generations.

http://montereybay.com/creagrus/sea_turtles.html

The Leatherback Sea-Turtle Dermochelys coriacea is a very distinctive and different sea-turtle. First, it is by far the world's largest sea-turtle, typically weighing 600-1000 pounds and some have tipped the scales at 2000 pounds. Second, it lacks scutes and scales and instead has a leathery carapace with prominent longitudinal ridges. Third, it has the longest migrations of any pelagic turtle and wanders widely the tropical and subtropical oceans of the world. Yet there are only a very few limited nesting beaches: one large and critical beach in western Mexico, another in Indonesia, and a few others scattered elsewhere (including Costa Rica). Fourth, it feeds only jellyfish and relatives, and can dive up to 3200 feet deep in search of giant jellyfish.

 

[JUL]

Wow! thank you! I was hoping someone would post a pic I was wondering what they looked like after seeing the pic of the trail!

 

[ozbeachmom]

That is fantastic! I showed it to my 7 year old and he asked if we could go down and see it. Mind you we just got home from our two months down there. For those two months he would get up each morning and walk with me looking to see if a turtle had come up to lay eggs.
How awesome was that to be the same person two years in a row to find this. What a special person!

 

[Smiling JOe]

I bet Christian is smiling a bit more today. Good thing the turtle didn't come ashore at the beach near Goatfeather's, as there were holes big enough to bury multiple large sea turtles. Made me want to slap somebody.

 

[Miss Kitty]

Makes me want to buy a gun, drive to sowal and camp out on the beach. ;-)

How many laws have I broken?

This is amazing!