Sea Turtle Comes Ashore, Makes History in California

A 100-pound olive ridley sea turtle pulled off a first on a Southern California beach this month. Scientists say her Sept. 16 nest near Seal Beach, some 30 miles south of Los Angeles, marks the first documented time a sea turtle has laid eggs on the US West Coast, with a second nest spotted days later near Huntington Beach Pier in Orange County. NOAA's West Coast Fisheries division said it was "the first-ever recorded natural nesting for any sea turtle species," and officials are "excited," per the AP. Both nests are now fenced off and monitored as the roughly two-month incubation period begins.

Researchers link the surprise nesting to exceptionally warm Pacific waters, amplified by El Niño, that are drawing typically tropical creatures north, from whale sharks to potentially venomous yellow-bellied sea snakes, reports the New York Times. Olive ridley turtles, the smallest type of sea turtle, are most often found in tropical waters, including off the coasts of Mexico and India. While expanding nesting sites could help the threatened turtle populations, scientists warn the same heat is stressing native species like giant kelp and sea otters. One paleoecologist calls the rapid ocean temperature swings "alarming."