Leatherback sea turtle nesting reaches record numbers along Florida's coast this season

追加: 2026-06-04

[00:00:01]We have a record number of endangered leatherback sea turtles that are nesting right here along our coastline this season. I had the chance to run out this afternoon and talk to the researchers at FAU, and they are already documented that there are 42 nests, and that nearly triples the annual average. And now they are working to understand what's behind the increase.

[00:00:24]>> Palm Beach County is a hotspot for leatherback nesting in the continental US.

[00:00:32]>> And researchers say one of the big factors that they closely watch is the sand temperature, and a nice 82° is considered the optimal temperature for egg development.

[00:00:42]>> Not bad. I did not know that it was a big nesting area here for leatherback.

[00:00:46]>> Yeah, I didn't either until I went down there and come to find out that yeah, this little stretch of area right here in our backyard is their their preferred spot. There's only three spots, so this is one of those.

[00:00:58]>> Not bad, not bad. What about that weather?