On the sandy beach of Island Ellen, a nest of eggs has been quietly laid in the fine sand.
The eggs - about 80 of them - have been there for about two months. On this night, the sound of one of the eggs hatching breaks the stillness. Emerging from the white shell is a small dark animal. It climbs awkwardly on to the sand with its flippers. One by one, all of the hatchlings break free from their egg shells and are out on the beach.
The creatures, commonly called the green turtle, now head towards the sea.
Because of the cool weather while they were incubating, males predominate in the group. Warmer weather would have produced more females.
Hurriedly crawling towards the water with its siblings is On line, a male baby turtle. He knows that after tonight, he will leave the land and only return occasionally. He will spend most of his time in shallow-water feeding grounds where abun dant aquatic plants are found. His instincts tell him that he will face great dangers during his adult life. But it only makes him more determined to head towards the sea to face his future.
Finally, they reach the cool and salty waters. There, they drift with large mats of floating seaweed in the open waters, ready to face the challenges.