Nags Head ATV rider Brent called the hotline with a report of a crawl in south Nags Head. He saw no signs of a a nesting area so the Alexanders went to confirm that it was indeed a false crawl.
Brent sent photos to KC and said he was having a hard time discerning if the crawl pattern was alternating (loggerhead) or opposite (green or leatherback). When the photos arrived, KC had the same reaction, “what is going on with this turtle?!”
Nags Head false crawl. Species is currently undetermined, but could have been a green or loggerhead with a bad flipper.
Based on the crawl width Brent and the Alexanders sent (~110 cm), it would seem this crawl was either a green or a loggerhead but clearly, it has a flipper issue of some type. Without a nest site, it just makes it that more challenging to tell species. One thing we hope, she’ll be back tomorrow night to show us who she really is (and leave a beautiful, species-specific nest site)!
Nags Head False Crawl. Direction of travel is from the right to the left.
Crawl Width - 110 cm. The plastron drag is completely straight, similar to a green but it could also be a loggherhead without a functioning flipper.