Loggerhead sea turtle found dead on NC Outer Banks. Cause remains a mystery

A loggerhead sea turtle estimated to weigh nearly 100 pounds was found dead on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, according to the National Park Service.

The turtle was discovered in the Pamlico Sound at the end of Esham Lane in the Village of Ocracoke, which is just outside Cape Hatteras National Seashore. Loggerheads are an endangered species that nest annually on Outer Banks beaches.

“The loggerhead sea turtle had been dead for a while and had no obvious signs of (a cause of) death,” the National Park Service told McClatchy News.

“There were some old scars on its carapace (shell), but it was not entangled in anything. A necropsy did not find anything on or inside the turtle that pointed towards a cause of death.”

Questions about the turtle’s condition were raised on social media Aug. 23, when a photo was shared on the Ocracoke Island Facebook page, which has 67,000 followers. Some commenters reported seeing the turtle upside down in the water, and questioned whether it had been struck by a boat.

Boat strikes are among the most common threats to loggerhead turtles, along with being caught as “bycatch in fishing gear,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says.

Loggerheads can grow to 350 pounds and are found in oceans throughout the world. It is estimated 100,000 per year nest along beaches in the United States, NOAA Fisheries reports. In the Northwest Atlantic, they nest primarily along “Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina,” experts say.

This story was originally published August 25, 2023 at 1:40 PM with the headline "Loggerhead sea turtle found dead on NC Outer Banks. Cause remains a mystery."