Nature
PUBLISHED
This is Alby, the very un-green green turtle.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.This rare sea turtle with albinism was found on a beach in Australia over the weekend. Volunteers from Coolum and North Shore Coast Care spotted Alby digging his way out of the sand on Castaways Beach, along Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The baby turtle was among 122 other hatchlings that were making their way out of their buried eggs and venturing into the sea for the first time. Although most of the turtle’s siblings hatched on Friday, February 5, Alby was still in the nest until Sunday.
Speaking to CNN, Leigh Warneminde, president of the group, said: "He was quite vigorous while walking from the nest to the ocean."
Despite this chipper start, Warneminde went on to explain that only one in 1,000 green turtles survive to maturity. Alby’s chances look even slimmer, with his lack of camouflage and likely reduced vision making him easy pickings for predators.
A couple more photos of Alby- Thanks to John and Danny Bird and (Kim- turtle track spotter extraordinaire) and Susan!
Posted by Coolum District Coast Care Group on Sunday, 7 February 2016
Meet Alby, the first ever albino Green turtle we have come across in our 9 years of turtle monitoring. Alby was born at...
Posted by Coolum District Coast Care Group on Sunday, 7 February 2016
