OCRACOKE, N.C. — The National Park Service (NPS) made an amazing discovery on the Outer Banks this week!
Cape Hatteras National Seashore posted on social media that nearly 100 Leatherback Sea Turtle eggs were found on an Ocracoke Island beach on Monday.
According to NPS, Leatherbacks are the largest sea turtle in the world, weighing up to 2,000 pounds and measuring up to 6.5 feet as adults.
The last time this species of sea turtle laid a nest on Ocracoke Island was more than a decade ago, in 2012.
NPS said crews found 93 eggs in a nest on the beach during a routine turtle patrol. Park biologists moved the eggs to a safer spot on the beach, as the nest was right near the high tide line.
Leatherback nests were previously found on Ocracoke Island in 2012 and 2007, and on Hatteras Island in 2022, 2009 and 2004.
