– It is frightening that the last four summers in Florida have been the hottest summers ever, says Bette Zirkelbach, director of Turtle Hospital in Florida.
When a female turtle digs a nest on a beach, the temperature of the sand determines the sex of the eggs. Zirkelbach refers to an Australian study that showed similar statistics – 99 percent of newly hatched sea turtle babies are female.
“Over the years, we’re going to see a sharp decline in their population because we simply don’t have the genetic diversity,” says Melissa Rosales Rodriguez, turtle keeper at the hospital.
Hear her tell more in the clip above.