21/07/2026
Cool dudes and hot chicks 🐢
That's the trick I use to remember how a sea turtle becomes male or female.
The mother digs a chamber in the sand, lays her eggs, and then it's out of her hands.
Because nothing INSIDE the egg decides the s*x.
The temperature of the sand does.
Warmer sand makes females. Cooler sand makes males.
And in the narrow range between, you get a mix of both.
No s*x chromosomes. No genetic coin toss. Just heat.
Which raises a strange, uncomfortable question.
What happens on a planet that keeps warming?
More females. Fewer males.
A s*x ratio tilting further off balance every hot season, and in some populations, it already has.
Can they adapt fast enough? We don't know yet.
But "we don't know" isn't the same as "there's nothing we can do."
The turtles can't speak up for themselves. We can, starting with not looking away.
*You might notice I'm close to her in this video. That was part of a conservation program collecting the eggs to move them to a protected hatchery, safe from predators. It's done under guidance, for the turtles' benefit.
If you're ever lucky enough to witness this yourself, keep your distance. A nesting turtle that gets startled may abandon the whole thing and drag herself back to sea before she's finished. Laying is exhausting for her, so a spooked retreat wastes energy she can't spare. No white light, no crowding, no touching. Just watch the magic, quietly, from far back 😌
