Thursday, December 1, 2011

Hatching on Anse Corail, Monday 21st November 2011

Join our two French students, Marieke Foissart, Charline Comparini from AgroCampus, Renne, as they describe their first turtle hatchlings…..


This morning we saw our first turtle nest hatching on Anse Corail. It was a really good experience to see all these small turtles running on sand and scrambling over all the obstacles.

Footprints are like giant craters to a hatchling...

It’s really impressive how very small things for us cause big troubles to them: foot prints, coconuts, rocks and rubbish are a real nightmare for them!

And small rocks are mountain ranges!

Once they hatched, they begin a really funny dash across the beach. Who’s going to be the first in water?! Nothing is settled yet… It depends on the goodwill of waves and currents.


Two of the hatchlings make it to the sea...

Unfortunately, only twenty one young turtles from this nest made it to the water; three were too weak and died and twenty one eggs hadn't hatched.

But still that's 21 new turtles at large!