Two sea turtles nest on Spain’s Mediterranean coast as waters warm

Two loggerhead turtles have laid their eggs on two separate Spanish beaches over the past 48 hours, as the endangered species moves further west, which scientists say could be due to climate change.

One turtle laid 80 eggs in the town of Denia on Saturday, and another laid 62 in Gandia on Monday, which are both in the eastern Valencia region, the Oceanographic Foundation said.

Loggerheads turtles used to nest mainly in the eastern Mediterranean, in countries such as Turkey, Cyprus and Greece, but for some years the coasts of Spain, France and Italy have been recording an increased presence of loggerhead turtle egg clutches.

Warmer waters have attracted the turtles, biologist Ana Liria, head of ADS Biodiversidad, a charity based in Gran Canaria, told Reuters in April.

Since 2012, nest numbers in France, Italy, Spain and Tunisia have increased dramatically, reaching 84 in 2020 compared to an average of three a year from 1990-2012, according to a paper released by scientific journal Global Ecology and Conservation last summer.

The Oceanographic Foundation’s rescue team and scientists from the University of Valencia handled both nests, conducting a blood test and an ultrasound, and installed a satellite transmitter to track their route.

They also placed some of the eggs in an incubator. When those turtles grow up, they will form part of program to help their survival.

The remainder of the eggs were taken to a protected beach in the Albufera Natural Park to avoid contact with passers-by.