Ain’t it good to know that you’ve got a friend?
Someone you can call when life caves in on you, who will help you dig out from under the mess? I really DO get by with a little help from my friends. They inspire me. Their stories inspire me. This little story about sea turtles inspires me, too:
I’m not a big animal lover but I am captivated by turtles, especially sea turtles. Sadly, even though I live fairly close to the coast in North Carolina, I’ve never witnessed them hatching, but I’ve read a lot about the nesting process.
Turtles are largely solitary, but there is a group phenomenon that has to do with how the turtles emerge from their shells.
It’s called hatchling frenzy. Once a group of hatchlings escape their eggs they begin to crawl about, climbing and bumping into one another. The ones at the top scratch at the ceiling of the nest and the sand begins to trickle down.
Those on the bottom stomp the sand onto the floor of the nest. As the scratching and stomping continues, the ceiling falls, the floor rises slowly, and like an elevator, the roomful of collaborating hatchlings is carried toward the surface.
Don’t miss the significance of this process; hatchlings make the trek to the safety of the sea in groups of 20-120 individuals. Stragglers are more susceptible to predators and rarely make it to the safety of the sea.
