Jekyll Island gets their first sea turtle hatchlings of the season

JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga — Jekyll Island has some “egg-citing” news. The first sea turtles of the season have hatched within the Golden Isles.

These hatchlings are among the first hatchlings in the state of Georgia. Within the last two days, St. Catherine’s Island saw the first emergence and Cumberland Island has seen hatchlings.

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Late last night, loggerhead sea turtles started emerging from Jekyll Island’s nest number 4, marking the beginning of hatchling season on Jekyll Island.

“The average incubation period is 45-60 days and our research crew excavates each nest five days after the first emergence to inventory how many eggs hatched from that nest,” said Jekyll Island in a news release.

Sunrise walks with education staff allow visitors to explore the Island’s beach ecology. One of the potential activities could be the opportunity to witness an excavation of a recently hatched sea turtle nest.

Visitors can also take a ride with dawn patrol to join research biologists and patrol Jekyll Island’s beaches with the sea turtle patrol team. Along with riding in utility vehicles, protecting nests, and checking for signs of predators, you can also observe nest inventories.

Both activities can be booked online by clicking here.

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Jekyll Island is also the unofficial destination of “sea turtle season” as the home to Georgia’s only sea turtle rehabilitation and research hospital, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, helping to rescue and rehabilitate these endangered species so they can continue to thrive.

Last year, Jekyll Island also got to welcome Georgia’s first sea turtle nest and hatchlings, and the state celebrated a record year for sea turtle nesting.

With these first few nests for 2023, the season is off to a great start.

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