One of the great ‘out of control’ ecological events of the modern age has unfolded in the Great Barrier Reef for the first time in recorded history.
For almost five hours, dozens of turtle birth pouches filled with millions of eggs, which have been incubated in an artificial reef, burst through to the water after over 24,000 migrant molluscs hatched.
The turtles will soon return to the water’s surface, ready to lay their eggshells, but have been gifted with some temporary zoological wildlife for having provided an eerily similar experience to millions of other turtles that in the past have also found their ways onto reefs and beaches in Australia.
Earlier this week a “Monster” white oyster finally hatched, having spent 80 days in the saltwater.
Shallow waters along the Great Barrier Reef were equally swarming with marine life, as a giant lemon shark once gave birth to its third baby shark.
On Tuesday, a pair of rare and critically endangered turtles hatched off the Queensland coast, provoking what James Cook University scientist Peter Attwood called a “spectacular” event in an interview with CNN International.
But at the dawn of the event, with life-size TV screens on board the boat showing live footage from a monitor as the babies were born, some experts feared the worst.
The southern hemisphere’s cooler waters have produced an unusually wet winter, causing an increase in disease and, until now, unplanned pollution.
However, the successful spawning of thousands of hatchlings has some scientists cautiously optimistic for future years.
“This is the first time, really, a wild event like this has occurred. It does not necessarily make people happy, but it’s definitely a good thing,” said Attwood.
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