Loggerhead Turtle in Spanish Beach Coast Carries 131 Eggs in a Single Clutch, More to Come for the Next 15 Days

Wildlife experts were taken aback when a loggerhead turtle on a Spanish beach coast laid an astounding 131 eggs in a single clutch.

Turtle experts and volunteers assisted the turtle in giving laying eggs in the shallow nest she had dug on Les Ortigues beach in Guardamar del Segura, in southern Valencia, as seen in video footage of the historic birth. The turtle had been fitted with a GPS transmitter before birth.

The loggerhead turtle is then brought back to the sea, obviously exhausted. As she enters the water, a happy crowd applauds her as she navigates the surf.

According to Valencia Mayor Jose Luis Saez, the turtle, which has a GPS satellite transmitter attached so that experts can monitor it, dug a small nest before laying a record-breaking 131 eggs.

The turtle was examined by experts before being returned to the sea, according to Saez, who added that the video was taken by a local municipal employee.

78 x 71 centimeters, or about 30.7 inches by 27.9 inches, or a loggerhead turtle with 131 eggs was discovered this morning on Les Ortigues beach in Guardamar, according to Saez, who said the incident happened on Tuesday morning.

Katherine the Loggerhead Turtle

The specimen, Saez continued, was partially covered in sand. Specialists from L'Oceanografic together with experts from the University of Valencia have attached a GPS locator to it. Similar to that, a review was conducted, and the results showed that it was in excellent health.

It will likely start laying eggs again in about 15 days, according to an ultrasound that the experts performed. This egg-laying occurrence is the biggest the Valencian Community has ever seen.

According to Saez, she was put back in the water at 2:30 PM and given the name "Katherine" in honor of a promising young American marine biologist who passed away recently.

L'Oceanografic

To incubate the 131 eggs and produce as many hatchlings as possible, they have been transported to L'Oceanografic.

In Valencia, there is an oceanarium called L'Oceanografic. It claims to be the biggest aquarium in Europe and has a capacity of up to 45,000 living things from 500 various species, Newsweek reports.

Read also: Leatherback Turtles: Hatchlings the Roam the Shores 

Loggerhead Turtles

On the Red List of Threatened Species maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) are classified as vulnerable.

The primary threats to their survival are plastic pollution, human-made fishing gear, human habitat destruction, and encroachment, as well as artificial lighting systems that deter them from nesting and make it difficult for their young to find their way to the water's edge.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the large heads of loggerhead turtles support strong jaw muscles that enable them to grind hard-shelled prey such as sea urchins and clams. Particularly in comparison to other sea turtles, they are far less likely to be killed for their meat or shell. Because loggerhead turtles frequently interact with fisheries, bycatch, or the unintentional capture of sea creatures in fishing equipment, is a significant issue for them.

Related article: Loggerhead Sea Turtle Hit and Killed by a Car, But 70 Eggs Saved by Researchers