A Loggerhead sea turtle, a common protected species in the Mediterranean, was discovered this weekend laying a hundred eggs on a beach in Valras (Hérault).
The scene was observed around half past midnight on the night of Saturday to Sunday.
It was a passerby who gave the alert.
Helped by the services of the town hall, the firefighters installed protective markings around the nest.
"We made a closed perimeter of 50 m in diameter around the nest, with a ban on passage," said the director of technical services.
“For two months, there will be no passage through this place, for all services, including emergency services.
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A loggerhead turtle lays eggs on Valras beach under the protection of Hérault firefighters https://t.co/V5NwcmGHtM pic.twitter.com/BX4GsmQh1v
– France 3 Occitanie (@F3Occitanie) July 17, 2022
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A closely guarded nest for two months
This is the first time that such a nest has been discovered in this area.
"But that doesn't mean that these turtles […] never come," explains an official from the Center for the Study and Protection of Mediterranean Sea Turtles (CESTMed).
She was probably born on this same beach twenty or thirty years ago, since these turtles come to lay their eggs where they were born.
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Attending the laying of a Loggerhead turtle is however rare.
The incubation period for eggs is about two months.
During this time, this part of the beach will therefore be protected from all traffic.
A surveillance camera has been installed in front of the nest.
The temperature of the latter, which must remain between 24 and 34°C, will also be checked.
The Loggerhead turtle, also called
Caretta Caretta
, can exceed one meter in length.
It usually lays eggs on Mediterranean beaches (Greece, Tunisia, Italy).
The Marine Turtle Observatory of Metropolitan France has noted an increase in reproduction since 2016, a phenomenon which is believed to be due to the increase in surface temperature in the French Mediterranean.
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