May 22, 2020 By Elizabeth Claire Alberts Mongabay
In 2018, something extraordinary happened in Phuket, Thailand. For the first time in five years, a leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) crept onto a local beach, dug a nest in the sand, and laid 118 tiny white eggs. Not long after that, two more nests appeared.
May 19, 2020 By David Waldstein The New York Times
They found that the turtles are actually creating decoy nests designed to fool predators like mongooses, dogs and wild pigs, and prevent them from sniffing out the real nests and devouring their eggs. Their findings challenge earlier theories that the turtles were disguising their nests and, in some cases, easing hatchlings’ trips to the water.
April 24, 2020 By Katherine J. Wu Smithsonian Magazine
Beaches in Florida and Thailand have tentatively reported increases in nests, due to decreased human presence. But the trend won’t necessarily persist.