On the evening of October 2, rangers in Sansha witnessed the hatching of green sea turtle eggs on Jinqing Island in the Yongle Archipelago.

"Watch out! Cut the lights. There's a turtle laying eggs!"

On the evening of October 2—at approximately 9pm—patrolling rangers discovered a flotilla of green sea turtles had taken advantage of the rising tide to climb onto the beach on the west side of Jinqing Island and dig burrows to lay their eggs alongside the vegetation above the hide tide line.

Green sea turtle laying eggs.

Green sea turtles are known for highly specific nesting requirements including fine sand, no reefs, and vegetation close to the high tide line. As the southwestern beaches of Jinqing Island meet these criteria, they are one of the most active nesting grounds in the area.

After laying her eggs, the mother turtle crawls back to the sea.

On the other side of the spawning grounds, a nest of newly hatched sea turtles is instinct-driven towards the sea.

The distance isn't far, but for the hatchling, it's a "life-or-death hurdle" with natural predators such as crabs and seabirds watching and waiting.

Ultimately, only about half will make it.

The incubation period for sea turtles is approximately 45 to 70 days, with each clutch containing anywhere from 50 to 200 eggs and a natural hatching rate of approximately 80%.

Hatchlings making their way towards the sea.