First SouthCoast Terrapin Hatchling 2011
Labor Day Weekend brought our first diamondback terrapin hatchlings of 2011 to the SouthCoast of Massachusetts. These precious babies were saved from the threat of Hurricane Irene last weekend. Irene punished the SouthCoast of Massachusetts, and especially Buzzards Bay, with a flooding storm surge synchronized with astronomically high tides at new moon phase. Nesting sites all along Buzzards Bay became inundated by hurricane surge and were raked by pounding surf. The Turtle Journal team and volunteers had rescued vulnerable SouthCoast nests just before Hurricane Irene’s arrival, and these nests began hatching during the holiday weekend.
SouthCoast Hatchlings Begin to Emerge
In Marion, the Aucoot Cove barrier beach supports the densest concentration of terrapin nests. With its southerly exposure, Aucoot Cove was ground zero for Hurricane Irene’s surge, which tore across its narrow width. Fortunately, all known nests from this area had been relocated before the storm. And on Sunday, three terrapin babies, which had “pipped” open their eggshells, scrambled to freedom when one of these rescued nests was exposed to sunlight. These hatchlings had been deposited by their mother in their Aucoot Cove nest on June 11th and had been incubating for nearly three months before their emergence.
Three SouthCoast Terrapin Hatchlings Emerge
Although only an inch long and weighing about a quarter ounce, hatchlings are completely independent from the moment they break loose from their eggshells and scramble to freedom. These babies will be returned to their natal nest location on Aucoot Cove for release into the wild.
Jackie Fougere with First Hatchling from Silvershell Beach
Earlier in the weekend Jackie Fougere discovered a tiny diamondback terrapin hatchling that had crawled onto her towel at Silvershell Beach in Marion. This baby represents the first terrapin hatchling we have documented at Silvershell Beach. It may have emerged from an elusive nest dug by its mother on this busy summer beach, or this hatchling may have been bounced around Sippican Harbor by Hurricane Irene’s turbulence. When discovered, the hatchling had already discarded its egg tooth; so, it was probably more than a week from emergence.Â
SouthCoast Terrapin Hatchling Up Close and Personal
This rescued hatchling was a bit dehydrated and required rehydration before release. Yet, after soaking in fresh water for a day, this baby had regained full vitality and was ready to fend for itself in the wild. An event like Hurricane Irene, timed to arrive at a highly vulnerable point in the terrapin nesting cycle, could nearly wipe out a year’s crop of hatchlings. With a local population already on the brink of extirpation, the loss of an entire annual cohort might prove catastrophic. Yet, thanks to an aggressive conservation effort on the SouthCoast of Massachusetts, hundreds of hatchlings were saved to assume their role in reconstituting this threatened population.