Kiawah Island, S.C. — The Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol in South Carolina came across a rare sight while checking sea turtle nests Sunday morning: a white sea turtle hatchling, affiliate WPDE reported.
The town of Kiawah Island posted on its Facebook page and said the hatchling is considered leucistic.
“Leucism is a condition where animals have reduced pigmentation. Leucism is different from albinism as albino animals have a complete loss of pigment, leaving them completely white with red or pink eyes,” the post read.
The state’s official sea turtle nesting season runs from May 1 to October 31. Last year, South Carolina had a record-breaking season with the most nests ever recorded in a season with 8,802 nests.