The world according to me....

Kemp's ridley sea turtles usually nest exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico, mainly on beaches in Mexico and also in Texas. When they are not nesting, Kemp's ridley turtles often migrate across the Gulf of Mexico and up along the eastern seaboard of the USA to feed (see range map here). Here in North Carolina, juvenile Kemp's ridleys are often seen in both offshore and inshore waters, and many sick or injured individuals have been treated at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center. In contrast, adult Kemp's ridley turtles are a rarity in North Carolina. So it was with some surprise that in June 2003 a nesting female Kemp's ridley was discovered nesting on the beach near Cape Lookout in North Carolina. The turtle was laying its eggs in the middle of the day, a normal behavior for this species. The nest emerged recently and the nest inventory revealed that 73 out of 80 eggs total produced hatchlings. Two live turtles were still in the nest and were released to scramble to the ocean. This is not the first time that Kemp's ridleys have nested in the Carolinas, and perhaps it is not the last.

Thanks to Lisa Presley for the photo.