A high definition (HD) camera has captured a video of newly hatched loggerhead turtles making their way to the Atlantic Ocean.
The HD webcam was installed at a beach in Florida Keys. The project is funded by Keys Tourism Council and has received approval for the camera installation from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The camera has been installed near to the turtle nest for a few weeks in anticipation of recording newly-hatched turtles taking their first steps towards the deep water. The camera caught around 100 baby turtles, measuring around 3-inch each, arising from their nest and crawling towards the Atlantic Ocean under the dim moonlight.
Harry Appel, the president of non-profit organization Save-a-Turtle, who coordinated to install the web camera says that the HD technology used in the camera was used for the first time to capture such as event.
"This webcam is high-definition, the first time ever used (to record a turtle hatch), and also an infrared IR-emitting light that is so important because it does not disturb any of the activities of the turtle trying to find the ambient light of the moon," says Appel. "It's so important here in the Keys to protect these nests and these turtles. They've been around for millions, maybe hundreds of millions, of years."
The loggerhead sea turtles are endangered and environment enthusiasts are trying their best to protect the turtle species, which is found mainly in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean. The loggerhead sea turtles are also found in the Mediterranean Sea.
Scientists suggest that the loggerhead turtle species spends most of their time in the ocean water. However, the females approach the beaches just to lay eggs. The reproduction rate of loggerhead sea turtles is very slow and the egg laying cycle is two to three years. Human intervention in the natural habitat of loggerhead turtles is one of the key reasons why the species is declining.
The HD camera installation was a part of the awareness program to protect loggerhead sea turtles in the Keys area.
Check out the video of the newly hatched loggerhead turtles arising from their nest and making their way to the Atlantic Ocean.
