{"id":11534,"date":"2012-07-11T11:36:26","date_gmt":"2012-07-11T16:36:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=11534"},"modified":"2012-07-11T11:36:26","modified_gmt":"2012-07-11T16:36:26","slug":"research-home-run-with-first-protected-terrapin-nest-holly-beach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/?p=11534","title":{"rendered":"Research “Home Run” with First Protected Terrapin Nest @ Holly Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Female Terrapin #272 — First Protected Nest @ Holly Beach<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Once in a blue moon comes a turtle, a diamondback terrapin,\u00c2\u00a0that provides researchers with such rich material that we describe the event as a home run.\u00c2\u00a0 Such a turtle, Terrapin #272, scrambled ashore at a newly discovered nesting site, Holly Beach, on the west\u00c2\u00a0coast of Sippican’s Outer\u00c2\u00a0Harbor.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

This exquisite female\u00c2\u00a0had first been\u00c2\u00a0discovered by Turtle Journal in June 2005 at another nesting site.\u00c2\u00a0 Today she revealed how well she has done in the intervening seven years.\u00c2\u00a0 She hinted\u00c2\u00a0that deteriorating conditions at her\u00c2\u00a0former nesting beach had pushed her to a new location.\u00c2\u00a0 She gave us 12 fresh and viable eggs to study and to protect.\u00c2\u00a0 And with a little bit of good fortune, her nesting efforts will yield a clutch of perfect hatchlings in September to examine and to release as new recruits to restore the dwindling population of Sippican terrapins.<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

Terrapin #272 Covers Nest @ Holly Beach<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Don Lewis strolled down\u00c2\u00a0the lane\u00c2\u00a0at 1 pm to check the newly discovered nesting\u00c2\u00a0spot at Holly Beach.\u00c2\u00a0 So far this season, after being alerted to the site by concerned residents, Turtle Journal had confirmed more than a dozen depredated nests and had\u00c2\u00a0examined three female terrapins at Holly Beach.\u00c2\u00a0 See Tracking Elusive Terrapin Yields Important Discovery: Legendary “Bigfoot” of Buzzards Bay<\/a> and Rescued Terrapin Thrives in New Habitat: “Bumpy” Stretch Behind Her<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As Don approached the beach, he spied a turtle crawling swiftly through the grass.\u00c2\u00a0 He\u00c2\u00a0dropped behind a boulder and a stand of phragmites to avoid disturbing her.\u00c2\u00a0 The terrapin stopped here and there along her journey, she scratched the surface and threw dirt over her shell, and she went on.\u00c2\u00a0 At one spot, she thrust her face into the soil, paused for a moment, then moved her powerful back legs over the sand, and began digging in earnest.\u00c2\u00a0 Alternating left and right rear limbs, she probed deeply into the ground.\u00c2\u00a0 After 15 minutes, she paused again, positioned herself over the hole, and began the laying cycle; deep breathing, dropping eggs and positioning them carefully in the egg chamber.\u00c2\u00a0 Once\u00c2\u00a0the terrapin\u00c2\u00a0began to cover the nest, Don moved closer to film the final moments and to be sure he could find the now camouflaged nest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Terrapin #272 in 2005 and Terrapin #272 in 2012<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

We first saw Terrapin #272 on 22 June 2005 on a nesting run at the barrier beach in Aucoot Cove.\u00c2\u00a0 She was still gravid (carrying eggs) and weighed 990 grams.\u00c2\u00a0 On July 17th of the same year, we saw her again on a nesting run for her second clutch of the year.\u00c2\u00a0 She was gravid and weighed 913 grams.\u00c2\u00a0 That weight loss is expected from first to second clutch, since a terrapin invests 10% to 15% of her body mass in each set of eggs.<\/p>\n

Today, Terrapin #272 was nesting at Holly Beach, which is in the next estuary to Aucoot Cove.\u00c2\u00a0 The turtle would have had to swim about a mile around Converse Point or crossed about a quarter mile on land to reach her new nesting site.\u00c2\u00a0 Turtle Journal has long\u00c2\u00a0noted that nesting conditions on the Aucoot barrier beach were deteriorating\u00c2\u00a0due to\u00c2\u00a0increased human activity and continuous storm washover.\u00c2\u00a0 We had speculated that turtles would be forced to find new nesting areas before long.\u00c2\u00a0 Terrapin #272 is the first turtle that we have confirmed taking this predicted course of action.<\/p>\n

In the intervening seven years,\u00c2\u00a0Terrapin #272\u00c2\u00a0has grown almost a full centimeter in length.\u00c2\u00a0 Her new weight, including the egg mass she had just deposited, was close to 1100 grams.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Neighbors\u00c2\u00a0Observe Terrapin Nest Excavation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

After securing the turtle, Don and interested residents, examined the location that\u00c2\u00a0Terrapiin #272\u00c2\u00a0had chosen to dig her nest.\u00c2\u00a0 It was a grassy spot that would prove challenging for the eggs to avoid root and other predation.\u00c2\u00a0 Since these eggs represent the first viable nest discovered at the new site, Don decided to relocate them to a secure turtle garden where they could incubate in safety\u00c2\u00a0 Once hatchlings emerge in September, they will be returned to the nursery salt marsh abutting Holly Beach.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lisa Holds Terrapin #272’s 12 Perfect Eggs<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Resident Lisa Novakoff, whose home overlooks the nesting site, holds the 12 pink and perfect eggs deposited by Terrapin #272 at Holly Beach.\u00c2\u00a0 Andretti, a young and inquisitive visitor, watches in amazement.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Terrapin #272’s 12 Eggs Weigh 94 Grams<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

An element of our research home run is to have access to the eggs of a known female (#272).\u00c2\u00a0 We weighed the eggs to determine the overall clutch size (94 grams) to compare to the mother’s size.\u00c2\u00a0 There would have been a few additional grams of “water” to add to the egg mass.\u00c2\u00a0 Second clutch nests tend to be lighter than the first clutch, because mothers have already invested a large percentage of their body mass in their first set of egg.\u00c2\u00a0 There also tends to be one or two fewer eggs\u00c2\u00a0in the second\u00c2\u00a0clutch.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Individual Egg Weighs 7.4 Grams<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Since the\u00c2\u00a0nest was being relocated to a safe turtle garden, we had the opportunity to take measurements of each of the eggs.\u00c2\u00a0 Later, we will compare these measurements to the eggs just prior to “pipping,” when the babies pierce the eggshell, and with the hatchlings once they emerge.\u00c2\u00a0 The eggs ranged from 7.4 grams to 8.6 grams, and from 2.92 to 3.30 centimeters long, and from 1.94 to 2.03 centimeters in diameter.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Eggs Relocated to Safe Turtle Garden for Incubation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

To ensure we can stretch a research triple into a home run, we relocated these viable eggs\u00c2\u00a0to a secure turtle garden and we capped the nest\u00c2\u00a0with a predator excluder.\u00c2\u00a0 With a normal Cape Cod summer, we\u00c2\u00a0expect to see hatchlings emerge sometime around mid-September.\u00c2\u00a0 As the time approaches, we hope Holly Beach residents will join Turtle Journal for a celebratory release party.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Terrapin #272 Jets to Freedom<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Examination over; weights and measurements taken; and a job well and successfully\u00c2\u00a0done; Terrapin #272\u00c2\u00a0left Holly Beach\u00c2\u00a0for Sippican’s Outer Habor.\u00c2\u00a0 She raced to water’s edge and sped into the bay as though propelled by jets.\u00c2\u00a0 So long, Terrapin #272; see you next year!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Female Terrapin #272 — First Protected Nest @ Holly Beach Once in a blue moon comes a turtle, a diamondback terrapin,\u00c2\u00a0that provides researchers with such rich material that we describe the event as a home run.\u00c2\u00a0 Such a turtle, Terrapin #272, scrambled ashore at a newly discovered nesting site, Holly Beach, on the west\u00c2\u00a0coast of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[23],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11534"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11534"}],"version-history":[{"count":61,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11613,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11534\/revisions\/11613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.turtlejournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}