Rare sea turtle lays eggs on OC beach for first time in history as experts monitor abnormal behavior

An endangered sea turtle has pulled off a stunning first in Orange County, laying eggs in two separate nests hundreds of miles outside the animal’s usual stomping grounds.The female olive ridley has made history with nests documented in Seal Beach and Huntington Beach, according to NOAA Fisheries, which says it is the first documented olive ridley nest ever recorded on the West Coast.And the turtle’s behavior has experts raising their eyebrows.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story “Typically, they do it during the night.This one has been a little abnormal in the fact she came up during the day and right as the sun was setting,” Justin Viezbicke of NOAA Fisheries told ABC 7.

“There is potential there could be other nests we do not know about.”The first discovery was almost a case of mistaken identity: Beachgoers at Seal Beach spotted what they thought was an injured turtle and called for help, sending lifeguards rushing to the scene.Instead, they found the animal was perfectly healthy and busy digging her nest.The turtle was later seen in Huntington Beach, where she laid another batch of eggs before slipping back into the ocean.Officials believe the same female was responsible for both nests, making this one very long turtle road trip.Olive ridleys typically nest much farther south, with the closest usual nesting grounds located at the southern tip of Baja California, Mexico.Scientists believe warming ocean waters linked to El Niño likely helped draw the turtle hundreds of miles north of her normal range.“This is our first ever documented case of a nest for an olive ridley turtle here on the West Coast,” Viezbicke said.

“This is a highly endangered and protected species.”Both nesting areas have been fenced off and marked with warning signs, whi...