Sea Turtle Hatchlings in Virginia Beach

On August 13, we excavated a loggerhead sea turtle nest on the North End of Virginia Beach. Initially, this nest hatched in the early morning hours of August 5. Before we took three sea turtles back to the Aquarium for our Sea Turtle Hatchling program, we let them "imprint" on their home beach.

The activities depicted here took place with protected loggerhead sea turtles. This species is listed as threatened in the USA and the Commonwealth of Virginia under the Endangered Species Act. All activities were conducted under permits and authorizations issued to the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. Personnel depicted excavating the nest and handling hatchlings are trained and authorized to conduct these activities.