Sea turtle nesting season is ending in SC. Here’s how many nests were in Myrtle Beach

A total of 14 sea turtle nests were found in Myrtle Beach during the 2021 nesting season, city officials said Tuesday.

There were also eight false crawls reported, which is when sea turtles come ashore but don’t lay eggs, according to the city’s Facebook post.

Horry County reported more than 1,800 eggs and 17 nests, which were moved to calmer parts of the beach.

A sea turtle nest averages 120 eggs, and they hatch after about 60 days, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

The four sea turtle species that frequent South Carolina waters from April through November are loggerheads, green, kemp’s ridleys and leatherbacks turtles. They are all endangered or threatened and protected by the federal government.

Tampering with sea turtles or their nests is bad for the animals and is illegal and can result in steep fines for anyone caught doing it.

This story was originally published October 5, 2021 at 2:10 PM.