70-degree ocean temperatures and a hotter winter than normal are suspected to have caused the early nesting, which is not unusual. Nesting season for all sea turtles begins on May 1 and continues through October 31. Other sea turtles have also nested early on the beach in southern Volusia County. In the past 20 years, the earliest date of nesting for sea turtles was in 2012 on April 3rd and the latest was in 2004 on May 12. Kemp’s ridley sea turtles have only ever nested in Volusia County 10 times since 1988. Only 1 Kemp’s ridley has been recorded in the county so far in 2017 with just 1 in 2016, 2 in 2014, 1 in 2012, 1 in 2010, 1 in 2005, one in 1998 and 2 in 1996.Source: NewsDaytonaBeach.comUse the above source link to see the entire story!
