Buried Before Birth: How Turtle Hatchlings Dig Their Way to the Surface

Being buried alive sounds like a nightmare, but it is just the beginning for green turtles. This turtle species starts its life hatching underground before emerging at the surface. But what does this process look like, and how long does it take? This Instagram post by @bbcearth shows a group of hatchlings all emerging together. Read here to learn more about how green turtles dig their way out after hatching.

How Hatchlings Emerge

The period from being laid as an egg to emerging is lengthy. The mother turtle starts the process by laying her eggs in the sand, about two feet deep. She then covers them with sand before leaving. Depending on the temperature of the sand, incubation can last typically between 45 and 70 days (about 1.5 to 2.5 months), depending on sand temperature. Warmer temperatures speed up the incubation process, making it ideal for the mothers when laying their eggs. Using their caruncle, or egg tooth, the babies will break out of their eggshell. While they may hatch at different times, they do not start emerging till later. Instead, the babies will rest and stimulate the other babies to hatch through movement and sound. This phase lasts for several days before they begin to emerge.

Emerging is not an easy process, so baby green turtles use their group to their advantage. A single hatchling can’t move the compact sand, and so, through group emergence, the babies work together to push their way through. The babies on the bottom help to push up the others, while those on top dig through the sand. This creates a column for the babies to dig through, taking anywhere from one to several days, depending on sand conditions. This is because of how compact and moist the sand is. Most green turtles will emerge at night, given the cooler temperatures and lower risk of predation. Their emergence is amazing to see, with dozens coming out of the sand at a time and making a beeline for the ocean. This is an innate part of their biology, making it fascinating to observe. Because the mother leaves after laying eggs, baby green turtles must rely on themselves to survive past this early stage of life.