Turtle Tracks: August 7, 2022

“We received a hotline report of a turtle nesting during the day, and it just so happened to be Flame Lily. This rare daytime encounter provided a clear look at this turtle and heightened our suspicions that she might be a hybrid,” said Kelly Sloan, coastal wildlife director and sea turtle program coordinator. New genetic results from the University of Georgia’s Dr. Brian Shamblin confirm that Flame Lily is in fact half hawksbill, half loggerhead. Flame Lily’s first nest last year produced 104 hatchlings.