Around the world, many conservationists are celebrating increases in sea turtle population growth. Cape Verde in West Africa now has 100 times as many loggerhead turtle nests each year as there were in 2008. But scientists warn that this apparent success could be hiding an impending population collapse.
Using drone surveys and 15 years of nesting data, scientists at Queen Mary University of London report that booming nest counts could be misleading. As global warming causes temperatures to rise, more sea turtle eggs are developing into females. Without enough males, even a seemingly thriving population can collapse. Their findings, which are yet to be peer-reviewed, were posted January 20