Rare Sighting: Hawksbill Turtle lays eggs on Antigua beach

The Antigua and Barbuda Sea Turtle Awareness team witnessed a Hawksbill Turtle laying her eggs at one of the beaches they patrol on Monday morning. This rare sighting was extremely exciting for the whole team as these turtles only nest every few years, with an average of 3 to 5 times per season.

While sharing the update through its official Facebook account, the team noted, "Early this morning, a Hawksbill came up to nest on one of the beaches we patrol. This time, we were lucky enough to witness her laying her eggs."

They also shared a short video clip of the same showcasing the turtle laying her eggs which were bluish white in colour in her nest at the beach. The team further provided the information that they expecting to see the hatchlings emerge from these eggs in roughly 60 days.

Notably, Hawksbill turtles will nest 3-5 times a season, but they only come up every few years. The number of eggs they lay is usually 150-170 each time.

Last year, the Antigua and Barbuda Sea Turtle Awareness team documented a lady laying 191 eggs, which isn't even the most they have seen.

In addition to this, the team also reminded the general public, especially beachgoers, to keep the beaches clean, dark, and flat to help the precious sea turtles.

This is because female turtles typically come ashore to dig nests in the sand and lay their eggs. However, if they are unable to find a suitable nesting site, perhaps due to disturbances or lack of appropriate beach space, they may engage in a behavior known as "false nesting" or "spawning in the sea." In this situation, the female turtle releases her eggs directly into the water.

These eggs have no chance to develop, as they lack the protection as well as incubation environment provided by a sand nest. This behavior is generally viewed as a last resort when environmental conditions prevent successful nesting on land. 

Meanwhile, the citizens of Antigua and Barbuda were amazed at this rare sight, with several of them taking to Facebook to express their thoughts.

"I wanna experience this so bad and when they hatching as well," wrote a user named Kelina Paul while a trio of friends planned about going to the beach right after 60 days to watch the hatchlings.