Biologists have found a genetically rare baby sea turtle in a nest on the Outer Banks, according to the National Park Service.
The system of national parks
A baby sea turtle with a rare “genetic abnormality” hatched on the Outer Banks and crawled into the Atlantic Ocean in July, according to the National Park Service.
turtle, who looks albino, is a “leucistic” boat, meaning its coloration is mostly white, according to an Instagram post from Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Hatched loggerhead chicks are usually very dark brown or grayaccording to The Turtle Hospital.
Animals born albino lack melanin and have pink eyes, the report said. But animals with leucism still have some pigmentation and their eyes are often normal in color.
Biologists found the chick at the bottom of the nest on July 27, according to the park service. They let go, and he crawled into the sea.
Biologists usually see only a few turtles a year.
There are loggerheads considered vulnerable species, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Five species of sea turtles can be found along the Cape Hatteras seacoast, including leatherbacks, hawksbills, Kemp’s ridleys, loggerheads and greens. Cape Hatteras National Seashore is about 250 miles east of Raleigh.
The nesting period lasts from c From May to Octoberwhen female turtles return to the same beaches where they hatched to dig nests in the sand and lay their eggs, according to the National Seashore.
Anyone who sees a turtle or nest on the seashore is asked to call the National Seashore at 252-216-6892.
