A study of loggerhead turtles has left researchers trying to figure out why only 10 of the 220 turtles found during a little more than two weeks were adults. The low numbers could mean turtles are dying faster than previously thought, said David Whitaker, principal investigator for the study launched by the state Natural Resources Department. The study is one of the largest looks at loggerheads ever undertaken on the Atlantic coast and may be the first attempt to study the whole population instead of just the females that return to lay their eggs and their hatchlings.
Sea turtles are tough to study.
The hatchlings scramble into the ocean shortly after they emerge and vanish for 25 to 30 years. Only adult females return to land to lay their eggs. South Carolina fishermen say they have seen more loggerhead turtles at sea, but the number of nests found along state beaches has dropped from 5,600 to 3,000 in 20 years. Researchers want to know if turtle numbers are increasing or declining. The best way is to count the number of young turtles at sea, said Sally Murphy, a sea turtle specialist with Natural Resources Department.