# I found a HUGE sea turtle today! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 18, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-huge-sea-turtle-today/688668 "2014-05-18T02:56:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-huge-sea-turtle-today/688668/1 "2014-05-18T02:56:39Z")
We went to the beach for the day (central Texas Gulf Coast). I saw what I thought was a plastic bag or a big out of place rock, got closer and it was a HUGE sea turtle! She had crawled about 20 ft onto the beach, I think layed eggs because there was a smoothed place in the sand, walked another 3 feet, and that’s where her life mysteriously ended. ☹ I had seen the [turtle watch](https://seaturtles.org/campaigns/kemps-ridley-protection-2/) signs so when we got home I reported it and the lady will go get the eggs if they are there. They raise them in a protected environment and release them when they have a good chance at survival. They also try to figure out what killed the adult. It looked like it happened less than a day ago. Poor thing. I don’t know much about their life cycle. I’ll have to read up on it. I hope she lived a good life and had lots of healthy babies! ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-huge-sea-turtle-today/688668/2 "2014-05-18T13:08:34Z")
Very sad. Numberless undetected struggles for existence happen around us constantly. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-huge-sea-turtle-today/688668/3 "2014-05-18T14:27:11Z")
Maybe you can keep an eye on those eggs and make sure her sacrifice was not in vain! ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2014, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-huge-sea-turtle-today/688668/4 "2014-05-18T14:48:59Z")
It’s possible her belly was full of [plastic bags](http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=threats). Thank you for reporting it! It’s possible the turtle watch organization will also remove the body and do a necropsy. Determining and recording cause of death gives scientists valuable information. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-huge-sea-turtle-today/688668/5 "2014-05-19T03:07:53Z")
I’m going to call them back this week and ask what they found. Hopefully they got some eggs! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2014, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-found-a-huge-sea-turtle-today/688668/6 "2014-05-19T04:32:19Z")
Too bad the turtle died. Do you know which species? Green and Loggerhead seem to be the largest ones that nest regularly in Texas. Leatherbacks are [truly enormous](http://www.technologijos.lt/upload/image/n/mokslas/gamta_ir_biologija/S-39286/nuotrauka-71267/nasrai_103.jpg), but the only recent record from Texas seems to be in 2008. I was lucky to see a Leatherback laying one night.