It’s turtle laying season and at least turtle has made their way to a Phang Nga Beach over the past week. National Park officials have found 118 leatherback turtle eggs on a beach in the Thai Mueang district of Phang Nga.
The Bangkok Post reports that officials from Khao Lampi-Hat Thai Muang National Park say the discovery of the eggs is the first of the current nesting season. National Park chief Prarop Plaengngan says officials found the eggs while patrolling the beach for signs of a leatherback turtle.
The leatherback sea turtle is the largest of all living turtles, with its lack of a bony shell differentiating it from other sea turtles. Instead, its shell is made up of skin and oily flesh. Leatherback turtles can reach lengths of up to 1.8 metres and weigh up to 500 kilograms!
PHOTO: MGR Online
Officials discovered the eggs after following the tracks of the mother turtle, thought to be between 160 – 170cm in length. The tracks led them to a nesting site where they found 118 eggs. According to the report, 34 of them are infertile.
Officials have now relocated the eggs to protect them from other animals or humans and allow them to hatch in safety. This is expected to happen sometime in early February.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
