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Sea turtles usually lay eggs in the summer, but one decided to lay her clutch last December on the off-shore island of Xiaoliuqiu, with about 70 baby sea turtles hatching recently. Experts say that temperature is important in determining the sex of the hatchlings. In the past, warm temperatures averaging above 31°C have produced more females, but this time, the average temperature was around 25°C, so most of the hatchlings have turned out to be male.

A mother sea turtle was recorded laying her eggs in December last year. When she finished, she returned to the sea. After about 83 days, baby sea turtles hatched and made their own way to the sea.

These adorable baby turtles slowly but surely climb out from their nest. Sea turtles usually nest in the summer, but this time the mother laid her clutch in the winter. What’s more, of the 94 eggs laid, an astounding 70 hatched.

Lai Yun-ju
Ocean Conservation Administration official
If the temperature by the nest averages around 28°C, it will produce male hatchlings. If the average temperature is above 31°C, we can be fairly certain that most of the hatchlings will be female.

Since this turtle laid in winter, the average temperature was even lower at 25.2°C, so it’s likely that most of the hatchlings were male. This sea turtle laid eggs on Xiaoliuqiu once before in 2023. Three years later she came back, but in a different season.

Lee Tsung-hsien
Marine biologist
This could be a sign that human activities have caused air, water, and sand temperatures to rise. In order to adapt to these climatic changes, female sea turtles may start coming ashore to lay eggs during cooler weather.

Sea turtles rarely lay eggs in the winter, making this case very valuable for research. But this could be a sign that climate change and rising global temperatures are continuing to alter the marine environment. Sea turtles could lay their eggs in either winter or summer, so look out for turtle nests and be sure not to disturb them.

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