Cape Hatteras breaks record for sea turtle nests

BUXTON, NC (AP) — Officials have found a record number of sea turtle nests within the Cape Hatteras National Seashore this season.

The Virginian-Pilot reports that 269 nests have so far been spotted, 15 more than a record set two years ago for that stretch of the Outer Banks.

All but nine of the federal seashore’s nests belong to loggerheads, a threatened species in the U.S. The other nests are of green sea turtles, also listed as threatened.

The nesting season began in May, and females are still coming ashore to lay their eggs, which hatch about 60 days later.

Across the North Carolina coast, 1,179 nests had been recorded as of Tuesday, short of 2013’s state record of 1,304.

Experts say they don’t know why there has been a recent surge in nests.

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