Park volunteers patrolling a South Carolina beach on Wednesday came across a surprise: a newly hatched two-headed sea turtle.
A group of patrollers and volunteers at Edisto Beach State Park were conducting a routine inventory to check on sea turtle nests when they came across a distinctive baby turtle, South Carolina State Parks said on Facebook.
The park said it excavated a turtle nest three to five days after it began showing “signs of a major emergency.” This helps determine the success of the nest, which depends on the number of eggs that hatch. They also searched for living children who did not reach the sea.
The two-headed loggerhead sea turtle was one of three living baby turtles found in the nest.
“This two-headed calf is the result of a genetic mutation,” South Carolina State Parks said. “Other two-headed calves have been found in South Carolina in recent years, but this is the first time the team has patrolled Edisto Beach State Park.”
After the group took a few photos, the three turtles were released back into the sea.
According to Sea World, most sea turtles are born in the summer, although they can breed year-round.
It is essential that humans do not disturb the nest, which could endanger the survival of the baby turtles. According to Sea World, when turtle nests are disturbed, newly hatched turtles have a 25% chance of survival or less.
