NewsAnimalsSome sea turtles are laying eggs earlier in response to climate changeFor each 1-degree-Celsius increase in sea temp, green sea turtles lay eggs over 6 days earlier Green sea turtles are laying their eggs earlier in the season to cope with warming temperatures, a new study shows.Westend61 - Gerald Nowak/Getty ImagesBy Gennaro Tomma1 hour agoGreen sea turtles are adjusting their nesting habits in response to rising global temperatures. Individual females are laying their eggs earlier in the season to cope with warmer conditions, researchers report in the February Proceedings of the Royal Society B.Scientists have long known that the sex of most turtle species is determined by incubation temperature higher temperatures give life to females, and lower ones produce males. As climate change drives up temperatures, more females and fewer males are being born, potentially weakening populations. Extreme heat can also be lethal for the eggs.Marine biologist Mollie Rickwood kneels next to a loggerhead turtle protected nest. The females dig themselves down in the sand using their flippers, then they dig a flask-shaped chamber where they lay eggs.Mollie RickwoodTo understand how turtles are adapting, conservation ecologist Annette Broderick and colleagues analyzed three decades of nesting data from around 600 tagged green turtles (Chelonia mydas) on the beaches of Northern Cyprus. The data included the number of successful hatchlings in each nest and temperatures during incubation. The team found that individual females nested earlier as temperatures rose, laying eggs just over six days earlier, on average, for each 1-degree-Celsius increase.This is the first time anyone looked at individual turtles and looked at how theyre changing, rather than studying nesting behavior at a population level, says Broderick, of the University of Exeter in England.