produce both genders of turtles because eggs in various positions within a nest are exposed to differing temperatures. Unfortunately, the odds of long-term survival are unfavorable for sea turtles. While making your rounds through the main building, be sure to reserve some time to watch rotating video footage of freshly hatched sea turtle babies. Hatchlings clamber out of their sandy nests and scurry down the beach to the relative safety of the ocean. Their journeys look so precarious. Potential threats are presented by everything from house lights and hungry racoons to abandoned beach chairs and random trash. It’s not surprising that survivors of such difficult passages are few and far between. According to current estimates, only one out of every 4,000 hatchling sea turtles is expected to live long enough to reach reproductive age.
A separate building houses therapeutic pools, plumbing and supplies needed for rehabilitation and veterinary treatment of recovering injured turtles.
Visitors can entertain artistic interests by slipping indoors to admire the stained-glass masterpieces at Faith Chapel. For a great way to wind down your day, take a leisurely stroll down the short but sweet Tupelo Trail. The state of Georgia, the sole owner of Jekyll island, strictly limits commercial development there. So, rest assured, whatever natural wonders you take pleasure in at Jekyll today will be preserved and protected for all your future visits. What better hometown could there be for Georgia’s only sea turtle infirmary? In 2007, Georgia Sea Turtle Center was established as an oceanographic research facility, public environmental education resource, and hospital for treating sick or injured coastal wildlife, particularly sea turtles. As you step inside the interpretive gallery, you can explore a virtual ocean of eye-catching and interactive marine life exhibits that impress visitors of all ages. Suspended from the ceiling, life size models of sea turtles appear to swim overhead. In Georgia’s coastal waters, five distinct turtle species—hawksbills, leatherbacks, greens, Kemp’s ridleys, and loggerheads—may be found. Additionally, diamondback terrapins live in estuaries, coastal areas with inflows of fresh water from rivers and streams. There’s a curious twist that affects sea turtle development. Individual gender is determined by the temperature of the sandy nest where specific eggs hatch. Warmer incubation temperatures produce female hatchlings while lower temps generate males. A single nest can
Thanks to the big glass window at the front of this treatment room, visitors can observe staff experts providing gentle, hands-on care to sea turtle patients.
A nest of sea turtle hatchlings.
THREE AWESOME SOUTHERN AQUARIUMS
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE SUMMER 2023 | 23
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