Golfing turtles nest in California for the first time
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In September 2026, two olive ridley turtles, a species of sea turtle, laid nests on beaches in Orange County, California, marking the first time these turtles have nested in the region.
Visitors first discovered the nests near Seal Beach and Huntington Beach. Officials with NOAA Fisheries confirmed the two nests came from different turtles, and they contained a total of 204 eggs.
Responding to the approaching Hurricane Polo, rescue teams moved the eggs to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach to protect them from flooding and erosion. There, staff are carefully controlling the temperature and humidity to mimic natural conditions and maximize the eggs’ chances of hatching. Biologist Cali Turner Tomaszewicz of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center is analyzing photos of the turtles to understand their reproductive behavior and confirm if the nests were laid by the same individual.
The eggs are expected to hatch between October 31 and November 18, and staff plan to release the hatchlings near their original nesting sites. Experts believe the turtles’ appearance in California may signal a shift in their migratory patterns, potentially linked to climate phenomena like the predicted 2027 El Niño and warmer ocean temperatures. As olive ridley turtles are classified as threatened, each new hatchling is important for the species’ survival.
