05/06/2026
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🐢🥚How Do Sea Turtle Eggs Form?🥚🐢
Since we recently found our first sea turtle nest of the season, we thought it would be a good time to talk about how sea turtle eggs form!
Many steps take place before a female sea turtle lays her eggs. Eight to twelve months before a nest is laid, she goes through vitellogenesis (gaining weight to make eggs). In the four weeks before a nest is laid, mating (to get enough s***m), ovulation (to release eggs), and egg shell membrane development (to make a thin and flexible barrier around each embryo) occur. The final step is oviposition, where the female turtle lays her eggs.
This process is very demanding for female sea turtles, which is why they only lay nests once every two to three years.
This conservation work for protected sea turtles in the northern Outer Banks is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit )
