Wildlife officials are protecting two Orange County nesting sites after olive ridley sea turtles laid eggs far north of their usual nesting grounds.
Orange County beaches are now home to the first recorded natural sea-turtle nesting sites on the U.S. West Coast, according to federal wildlife officials.
An olive ridley sea turtle was recorded laying eggs near Seal Beach on Sept. 16. Three days later, a sea turtle was observed nesting near the Huntington Beach Pier. Officials have said it is not yet known whether the same turtle created both nests.
NOAA Fisheries and local partners have fenced off the nesting areas and are asking beachgoers to keep their distance. Olive ridley eggs typically incubate for roughly 45 to 60 days.
The nesting is especially unusual because olive ridleys generally nest much farther south, including along the coasts of Mexico and Central America.
Sources
NBC Los Angeles; NOAA Fisheries.
