DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. _ One month into nesting season, a critically endangered Kemp's ridley sea turtle has laid eggs on New Smyrna Beach.
Fewer than 10,000 nesting females of the species remain in the ocean, and they normally nest on the Gulf of Mexico beaches in Texas. But on rare occasions they will nest on beaches on the Atlantic Ocean side of Florida.
Volusia County officials spotted the Kemp's ridley turtle laying eggs on Memorial Day. It is just the 14th one spotted nesting on the county's beaches since 1996. Two Kemp's ridley turtles nested on county beach in 2019, during the largest nesting season ever in the county. Around 13,400 total nests of all turtle species were recorded last year from May through October.
This year's Kemp's ridley mother was also spotted making a nest in Daytona Beach Shores in 2016, according to Marine Science Center. Unlike other species of sea turtles, Kemp's ridleys are unique in that they nest primarily during daylight hours.
"It's very common to nest during these types of weather conditions, they like blustery, windy, overcast conditions," said Ryan Chabot, Volusia County's sea turtle habitat conservation plan manager. "Ridleys, unlike green turtles and leatherbacks that can stay on shore for a couple of hours, are pretty quick up there. They can be up on the beach and back in the water in an hour and fifteen minutes."
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kemp's ridley turtles can grow to be two feet in diameter and weigh more than 100 pounds. They typically dine on crabs, and usually nest in the western Gulf of Mexico and Texas. Chabot said the entire state of Florida typically sees about a dozen Kemp's ridley turtles nesting s a year.
So far this season, a total of 213 turtle nests have been reported in Volusia County. That includes 208 loggerhead turtles, three leatherbacks, one green and one Kemp's ridley.
In 2019, 228 nests were reported in the county by June 1. Those numbers included 225 loggerheads, one leatherback, one green and one Kemp's ridley.
