What is the Gestation Period?
I wonder what the gestation time is for the nests… would be cool to find out and try to go witness the babies crawling back to the water… that’s always my favorite footage in nature films, and I think it would be very awesome for Jackson to witness first-hand.
They always mark, rope off the nests… and I was thinking of at least taking Jackson out to the beach and looking for the nest locations. Show him the real thing instead of always talking about it….
Leatherback Nest on Sea Island is First of Sea Turtle Nesting Season
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (5/11/2009)
A rare and endangered leatherback sea turtle crawled ashore at Sea Island last week, signaling the start of nesting season for several federally protected species of turtles.
Jon Kent and Rob Hanft, members of the Georgia Sea Turtle Cooperative, found the state’s first sea turtle nest on Monday, May 4, during early morning patrols. Caretta Research Project volunteers discovered the first loggerhead nest on Wassaw Island the following Saturday night, May 9. Loggerheads are considered Georgia’s primary nesting sea turtle.
The finds mark the start of what biologists hope is a strong nesting season.
“Based on trends we have seen in recent years, we expect above-average nest totals in 2009,” said Mark Dodd, a senior Wildlife Resources Division biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. “Though the numbers are difficult to project, we expect between 1,200 and 1,400 nests in Georgia this year.”
about 60 days