Egg-citing news: Sea turtle nest found on Galveston Island for first time in a decade

GALVESTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Kemp's Ridley sea turtle nest, containing 107 eggs, was found last week at Galveston Island State Park.

This species of sea turtles is an endangered species, this is the first nest found at the park in a decade.

"The Kemp's Ridley sea turtle is one of the most endangered sea turtle species in the world so every egg matters," said Dr. Christopher Marshall, a professor of marine biology at Texas A&M University at Galveston.

"A lot of nesting habitat for the Kemp's Ridley has been lost to storms, high tide, and predation, which is why it is important to transport these nests to an environment where they have the best chance for survival into adulthood."

Marshall also said this sea turtle species was almost lost in the 1980s. If a nest were to be left on the beach, the eggs would have about a 45% chance of survival. In an incubation facility, he said survival rates can be up to 95%.

The Turtle Patrol and the Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research took the nest to an incubation facility at Padre Island National Seashore.

For images of the nest, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's Flickr page.