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Baby loggerhead turtles from Costa Blanca beach finally hatch
Of the 27 eggs laid on Poniente beach in Benidorm, just 10 have survived
Last month, a couple of lucky tourists were treated to a rare sight as a pregnant loggerhead turtle made her way onto Poniente beach and laid 27 eggs. This was a very unusual occurrence, as these endangered reptiles seldom choose busy shorelines like Benidorm’s.
Now, that turtle mum has offspring, as ten babies have hatched at the l'Oceanogràfic facility where they were being carefully incubated.
The hatching began last weekend and concluded on September 24 in the artificial incubator. Thus, of the total of 27 eggs deposited on the beach, ten small turtles have successfully hatched. According to the Oceanogràfic, some eggs had not been fertilised and others only developed a small embryo, so they were unable to prosper.
After she laid her eggs during the summer, the loggerhead returned to the sea and her eggs were transported to Valencia, a common practice that aims to preserve this threatened species.Once the turtle was spotted on the beach by the holidaymakers, the usual protocol in these cases was activated. Technical personnel from the Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology of the University of Valencia and from Oceanogràfic were sent to Benidorm, and they were in charge of recovering the eggs deposited by the turtle in its sandy nest.
Now that the eggs have hatched, the babies will remain in captivity for about a year and will then be introduced into the sea, at the same point where they spawned.
Earlier this month, the first loggerhead turtles of the year successfully hatched in the Region of Murcia. The tiny turtles, weighing in at just 15 grams, emerged from their shells on Saturday afternoon, September 14.
These endangered turtles were originally laid in a nest located in the area of El Pedruchillo, La Manga del Mar Menor.
In other news: Dénia blue shark washes up dead
Images: Benidorm.org
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