Kemp's Not Quite Ready

Well, I tried to release the last Kemp's ridley nest this morning, but they just weren't ready. I knew that when I didn't hear them crawling around in the cooler...



They had crawled to the surface, as they would have in a natural nest, but most of them were not buried very deeply as the cooler limited the artificial nest dimensions...



So, they're hanging out, straightening their carapaces, absorbing their yolk sacs and getting ready for a fifteen year swim before returning to the nesting grounds.



Col Limpus, in Australia, has recorded nests taking as long as two weeks to emerge from the nest once they've hatched, so I guess I should cut myself a break... They really do look almost ready, and we'll try again to release them tomorrow morning at Opal Beach.