So what could Clay teach me about turtles?He says he wants to tell me about their nesting habits and what issues arise with the baby turtles hatching. So turtles lay eggs, embryonic eggs, which is sustained off of a yoke and it goes through embryo genesis inside this egg. Because this egg has a hard shell, all reptiles have been able to fill other niches that amphibians can’t because their cycle is much more extensive and less vulnerable.
Sea turtles can survive quite well, but it is a harsh beginning; they drag themselves onto land and lay their eggs. They can’t lay eggs in the ocean because salt water would penetrate the eggs. Every species of this world must maintain a certain level of acidity and so for turtles it is this very same reason why the egg must be on land for them to hatch. When we enter water we absorb it because of the difference in salinity, and the opposite is for turtles who lose water. If a turtle could lay its eggs in salt water it would have to be a fresh water species. One specific species can do this that Clay can think of. He has such a love and extensive knowledge for turtles it is hard to keep up with him.
So, eventually they hatch and they move around so the sand caves is on top of them and they keep doing this until suddenly they are outside. He says like 90% die but he isn’t sure about this percentage. This percentage is mostly true in remote areas because other animals can easily kill them off. This is why they are making a come back in more human populated areas where less animals roam. An example Clay gives of unexpected killers are fire ants. Fire ants kill them by making a nest around them then as soon as they hatch swarming them with their stinging forces. This is very gruesome to even imagine first being born then being destroyed. Turtles live rough lives having to crawl all the way to the ocean and then figure out how to live.
He now mentions that Carettacaretta is the type of turtle he is focusing on in this discussion. When the baby turtles hit the water they swim at the surface. There they are eaten by everything that can move (birds, fish, etc) and the ones that do survive look for shelter. We are unsure where they hide or if they sleep on the surface. Small or big turtles hang out around Sargassum (algae that grows independent of the sea bottom, floating using gas-filled tissue bulbs) and eventually leave and go to places that have conch, lobsters, and other different kinds of food. We aren’t sure how long they grow to full size. Once they are at the appropriate size, they become ‘horny’ and want to make lots of eggs. Clay adds, because they are a prolific species.
The female turtle’s uterus is like an assembly line, a process of adding one aspect of development in each moment until finally an egg is developed. The egg shell is put on last because the egg itself must be fertilized before it can be shelled. So then they bury the eggs in the sand which is a big ordeal. She can tell if the beach is right by the temperature, the feeling of the sand, and other dimensions. Someway she just knows it is right. She digs a body pit beginning with her front flippers and then the back flippers, digging herself deeper and deeper. When it is finally deep enough she squirts out her eggs from the cloaca (the only real opening in the turtle besides the mouth). Then the eggs are threatened by various other animals (ex: raccoons) beginning the rough life of a turtle.
The point of learning this, he says, is that we can go see them because they will be hatching very soon. The great thing about being in Florida is that we can go see a Loggerhead nest in August. A few hours or less drive to the nearest beach and spend moments there to see turtles hatching. What a beautiful sight this would be to see these turtles hatching. If you want to check out this nesting experience, he recommends to camp in the scrub adjacent to the beach otherwise people may get angry. The turtles are very protected by many humans which is a great thing for their survival. He warns no lights within the visible spectrum at anytime because it could scare the turtles. A cellphone light is recommended because it is very low light or use one that is a red beam. Get to the beach late night, go right down to the water and walk along the edge of the beach. Hopefully it is a night with a nice big moon for visibility as well as many turtles. Also one must understand that every beach is different so you never know what results there may be. Walk slowly down the beach in either direction so that you can see the shells walking out of the water. Mainly you are looking for tracks so you can follow them to the nest (walking down low to creep up on the turtle) and watch nesting in action. Get ten feet directly behind the turtle and sit down, “sit your ass down” as Clay put it. This is where it can all go wrong because if you scare it it will run back into the ocean (a false crawl) but this could be for other reasons as well. If you see the back of the shell lift up it is laying eggs and you can get closer.
DO NOT dig out the egg chamber because it is ILLEGAL and could be harmful for the eggs.You might get luck though because sometimes she does a half-ass job and you can see the eggs. The funny part is that as soon as the eggs are laid it may throw sand as far as 10 feet. I kept track of these steps so anyone interested in checking this out know the proper way of conducting yourself in such a situation.
The coolest moment I have ever had with a turtle (unsure of the species) is when I was scuba diving on a recreational dive in this bay in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) I came upon a small cavern. I was nervous about diving into it because I know the dangers in doing so but I went ahead anyway feeling adventurous at the time. On this minor adventure, I realized that their was a small turtle laying on its back on a rock deep in the cavern. I slowly approached it and realized that it was sleeping and in fact dreaming! It was the cutest thing I had ever seen. In the most masculine sense of course. That is my only really cool story involving a turtle encounter, at least randomly.
He thinks I should create a website that has science, philosophy, and art as different subjects of the blog/website. To make money on the side he suggests that I sell paraphenalia such as pogs, sticky slap hands, or even pipes. I find this to be an extraordinary idea that I might pursue once my blog begins to fall into its proper place.
Conclusion? Turtles aren't as slow-paced as I expected, in fact they live quite a fast-paced stressful life. I learned that some turtles never even stop moving. This discussion of turtles mainly refers to Sea Turtles. It would be far too extensive to talk about ALL turtles, but I learned quite a bit about the difficulty of the life of a turtle. A beautiful beginning to a blog dedicated to knowledge and skills.
