BUXTON, N.C. – Sea turtle tracks have been spotted at beaches at Cape Hatteras National Seashore Park, according to a Facebook post on the park’s page.
The park posted pictures of two sets of tracks on Friday, one coming from the ocean and one returning to the ocean.
The sea turtle nesting season falls between June 1 and August 31.
The park posted a video of Kemp’s ridley sea turtle nesting at the seashore on June 22. Kemp’s ridley turtles are an endangered species and the last confirmed nest at Cape Hatteras was in 2011.
According to the park’s Facebook page, most sea turtles found at the Cape Hatteras National Seashore nest at night.
The female sea turtles return to the beach to lay their eggs and use their flippers to dig a nest into the sand.
The turtles lay around 100 eggs. After laying the eggs, the turtle returns to the ocean.
Around 60 days later, the baby turtles hatch and use the light from the stars and the moon to navigate to the ocean.
According to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Facebook page, seeing an actual sea turtle nest is rare. Most people see the tracks left by nesting females.
If you see evidence of a sea turtle nesting, park biologists urge you to call the park’s wildlife hotline at 252-216-6892.
