While we were at the beach these past couple of days we had the pleasure of witnessing a sea turtle hatch. We were lucky. Not many people get to see this.

I was surprised to learn how many humans help the sea turtles along. They don’t dig the turtles up or anything, don’t get me wrong, but they prepare the hatching site, assemble guides so they can reach the sea, and guard the nests from wrongdoing. They help them do what their sea turtle mamas don’t.

It’s not that the sea turtle mamas are neglectful. For millions of years, before humans came along, the way the sea turtles had always done things worked out fine. Sea turtle mamas and papas would meet off the coast and mate, then three, four, five or ten times the sea turtle mama would ride the waves up onto the beaches, crawl up to above the tideline, dig down two feet or so, and lay her eggs. Then, business done, she’d crawl back to the ocean and be on her way – out to wherever sea turtle mamas spend their time.

Sometimes creatures like raccoons or foxes would dig up the nest and eat the eggs.

Sometimes an early storm would destroy the nest.

For the nests that remained, sixty or so days later, or when the temperature of their nest got warm enough, the baby sea turtles would begin to hatch. Their eggs crack and they work their way out, then increment by increment they’d wriggle their way to the top of the sand, working against and with their brothers or sisters to get to freedom.

It takes a sea turtle a couple of days to wriggle to the surface of the sand. Some of them, the ones buried on the bottom, never make it.

Once to the top they rest for a while, then, guided by the light of the moon and the pounding of the waves, they run down the beach to the ocean. Predacious birds and crabs and other animals that like to eat baby sea turtles are waiting to eat them on their trek to the ocean. Once in the ocean there are any numbers of creatures who would wish them harm. They are all alone in the world. One out of every 500 sea turtles live to adulthood.

That’s how it used to work, but even that complicated and nerve-wracking journey is not that simple anymore. Humans complicate things, so humans have to help.

(image from conocophillips.com)