Officials with the Cape Hatteras National Seashore reported that 211 sea turtle nests were found this season so far, making it close to last year鈥檚 record of 216.
Sea turtles are an endangered species. Their nests are along Bodie Island, Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island.
鈥淲e've got 196 loggerhead turtles, which is our most common. 11 green sea turtles, which is [our] second most common nesters," said Michelle Tongue, the Deputy Chief of Resource Management and Science for the National Parks Service鈥檚 Outer Banks Group. "And then we have a couple different rare ones. We have one leatherback on Ocracoke. And then three Kemp鈥檚 Ridley which are in Hatteras districts."
Tongue has some tips for beachgoers who may encounter nesting sea turtles.
鈥淭urn out your lights,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ftentimes, most of our nesters nest at night because artificial light can disorient them, cause them to do what we call a 鈥榝alse crawl,鈥� which is when they curl up on the beach and then crawl back to the water without actually depositing eggs.
Tongue said the public should also fill holes before leaving the beach and to pick up trash, so turtles don鈥檛 mistake it as food.
