Cayman Brac Loggerhead Turtle nest hatching
Published on Jul 25, 2015
Loggerhead turtles lay their eggs on the northwest side of Cayman Brac during the late spring and summer. The eggs (usually about 150) incubate for 50-60 days. At the end of that period, the viable hatchlings break out of their shells and climb through the sand (which may be as much as two feet deep) to the surface, where they immediately make a run for the water, where they will swim non-stop for about two days before starting to feed for the first time. Apart from the females returning to lay their eggs, these turtles never return to land. This video clip was made possible by Caroline Dowd, a science teacher at Cayman Brac High School, and her husband Duane, who invited me and my wife and our daughter and her family to assist in an inspection of the nest in front of the house where we are staying. The nest had passed its expected date for the arrival of the chicks and it is the policy of the Department of Environment here to proactively work for the survival of the maximum population of these turtles. The clip is rough because it was an impromptu outing; there was no light except for that supplied by a single flashlight with a red lens (to protect the vision of the hatchlings). The only way to capture an image was in monochrome. As rough as it is, I think the excitement of our experience comes through. We take our hats off to this volunteer team, to the conservationists in the Cayman Islands, and to an inspired high school science teacher.
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