Thousands of turtle eggs incubating deep in the sands of Florida beaches were lost when Hurricane Irma winds lashed out at the state and caused tidal surges that washed away the nests.
Many of the eggs from threatened and endangered species, such as leatherback turtles and the more common loggerhead turtles, were dug up as the high surf pounded the beaches starting Saturday.
Photos taken by Dailymail.com before and after the storm in Vero Beach, a small Atlantic Coast resort town north of West Palm Beach known for its wild sea turtles, show the eggs now strewn upon beaches.
Many are still filled with yolks that are now rotting in the unforgiving sun while others are getting devoured by sea birds and crunched up by crabs.
Before Hurricane Irma struck Florida, sea turtle nests in Vero Beach, Florida, were sturdy, upright and secure ahead of the storm (pictured). But when Irma struck, thousands of turtle eggs were lost when winds lashed out and caused tidal surges that washed away the nests
Now, the coastal resort town north of West Palm Beach, which is known for its wild sea turtles, has thousands of sea turtle eggs strewn upon beaches, as thousands of hatching nests were subjected to the violent storm
Many of the upturned eggs are still filled with yolks that are now rotting in the unforgiving sun while others are getting devoured by sea birds and crunched up by crabs (pictured)
Worried residents of Vero Beach, many of whom are cleaning up their yards and repairing their roofs, have been calling the office of Kendra Cope, the county’s turtle program coordinator, to report wrecked nests (pictured)
Out of the several nests on the beach, only one appeared to be partially unharmed in Irma’s aftermath (left), while rest were left battered and in ruin (right)
Worried residents of Vero Beach, many of whom are cleaning up their yards and repairing their roofs, have been calling the office of Kendra Cope, the county’s turtle program coordinator, to report wrecked nests.
Cope’s job, work that’s unique to rural Florida, rides a four-wheeler up and down the 30 miles of the county’s coastline at sunrise to mark nests and survey the turtle population.
It’s her job to make sure state and local officials are alerted when the numbers of nesting turtles dip.
This year, a record year, she said she registered nearly 7,000 nests on the beach.
‘There’s been a fair amount of damage from Irma,’ Cope admits, ‘but it’s not going to affect the population. Turtles are adapted to handle natural disasters like hurricanes. Each mother lays eggs in up to four nests every season, all within the same area. In each nest, she lays 110 to 125 eggs.
‘Some species lay their eggs further from the ocean, far into the dunes, which protects many nests.’
Irma, Cope added, struck Florida after hatching season for loggerheads and leatherbacks. Green turtles, however, are still hatching, with 2,000 green turtle nests.
‘As a matter of fact,’ said Cope, ‘we even had a new nest during the hurricane.
‘In general, we had a phenomenal season, with or without Irma.’
Turtle nesting is a rite of early summer throughout the state.
Kendra Cope, the county’s turtle program coordinator, said: ‘There’s been a fair amount of damage from Irma but it’s not going to affect the population.’ Pictured: A sea turtle egg in the sand after the storm
Vero Beach had a record year in turtle nests, with a registered count of nearly 7,000 nests on the 30-mile stretch of coastline. Pictured: Turtle eggs are seen scattered across the area’s beaches (left and right)
Turtle eggs incubate for about two months before hatching. Since many babies hatch at the same time, Florida beaches then become the scene of tiny stampedes to the ocean where the newborn vanish
A sign alerts beach-goers of crossing sea turtles in Vero Beach. The Daily Mail checked on several turtle nests just days before Hurricane Irma hit and only one nest appeared to escape the storm’s wrath
Under the cover of darkness, giant turtles emerge from the surf and crawl on the sand until they find a suitable place.
Sometimes for two hours, the mothers dig with their hind legs until they form a hole that can be more than two feet deep. They then lay the eggs, cover them with a thick layer of sand and hurry back into the ocean.
The eggs incubate for about two months before hatching. Since many babies hatch at the same time, Florida beaches then become the scene of tiny stampedes to the ocean, where the newborn vanish.
Once mature adults, the hatchlings return to the same beaches where they were born to lay their own eggs.
The protection of sea turtles, which is slowly being moved out of endangered and threatened categories, is often seen as an ecological victory in Florida.
Drastic measures have been enacted by authorities, including the criminalization of the possession of eggs, which once were a delicacy for beach dwellers.
Coastal residents are mandated to turn off patio lights during nesting season, March through October, so that the turtles don’t get confused. They find their way to the nesting grounds thanks to the moon, and artificial lights have been known to misdirect pregnant mothers.
Conservative radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh, who lives in the middle of nesting grounds in Palm Beach, just south of Vero Beach, has had famous battles with authorities about keeping the lights on at his sprawling property.
In 2010, he took out newspapers ads in Palm Beach to blast the enforcement of the no-light ordinances.
Pictured: A sea turtle worker re-buries a Loggerhead sea turtle hatchling that drowned during Hurricane Irma on Fort Lauderdale Beach on Monday
Turtle eggs incubate for about two months before hatching. Once adults, the hatchlings return to the same beaches where they were born to lay their own eggs. Pictured: Baby loggerhead turtles from a previous hatching season (left and right)
Since many turtle eggs hatch at the same time, beaches become the scene of tiny stampedes to the ocean. Pictured: Baby sea turtles make their way to the Pacific Ocean in Nicaragua in 2009
The protection of sea turtles, which is slowly being moved out of endangered and threatened categories, is often seen as an ecological victory in Florida
In many areas where nesting takes place, turtle patrols hunt for nests by day and rope them off so they can’t be disturbed. In Vero Beach, nesting season lasts from March to October. Pictured: Marked nests before Irma hit the beach (left and right)