#California · Cascadity

WThe Wild #California #marine-life #NOAA #record #sea-turtles

Sea turtles nest on the U.S. West Coast for the first recorded time

Two olive ridley turtles unexpectedly laid eggs on Southern California beaches—something scientists had never documented anywhere on the U.S. West Coast.

Two olive ridley sea turtles nested on beaches near Seal Beach and Huntington Beach in Southern California. NOAA says these are the first recorded natural sea-turtle nests on the U.S. West Coast.

Why this is wild

Olive ridleys normally nest much farther south in places such as Mexico and Central America. Scientists confirmed the two sightings involved different turtles.

Then it got weirder

Because hurricane-driven waves threatened the nests, wildlife teams moved more than 200 eggs to the Aquarium of the Pacific to incubate them safely before any hatchlings are returned to their original beaches.

Read it at the source

NOAA FisheriesFirst-Ever Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Nests in California ↗ Smithsonian MagazineIn a First, Sea Turtles Were Spotted Nesting on the U.S. West Coast Independent ↗

WThe Wild #Bay-Area #California #marmots #mystery #urban-wildlife

Two giant mountain marmots mysteriously appear in the Bay Area

Yellow-bellied marmots belong high in the mountains, not San Francisco neighborhoods—and officials suspect they may have hitchhiked down in car engines.

Two yellow-bellied marmots were rescued in the San Francisco Bay Area far below their normal alpine habitat.

Why this is wild

Wildlife officials suspect the chunky mountain rodents may have ridden down from the Sierra Nevada in the engine compartments of vehicles.

The bigger thing hiding underneath

Marmots sometimes crawl into warm machinery or vehicles, which creates a bizarre pathway for wildlife to appear hundreds of miles outside its expected habitat.

Read it at the source

Smithsonian MagazineTwo Chonky, Mountain-Dwelling Marmots Were Found in the Bay Area Independent ↗