Nearly 31,000 baby sea turtles emerged from nests along Cape Hatteras National Seashore this year, marking one of the busiest nesting seasons on record.
The National Park Service recorded 409 nests, the second-highest total since systematic monitoring began in 1987.
That's nearly double the 218 nests recorded last year.
Most were loggerhead nests, but the season also included 15 green sea turtle nests and a record four leatherback nests.
Hatteras Island accounted for 294 nests, followed by Ocracoke with 94 and Bodie Island with 21.
Park staff and volunteers relocated 158 nests to safer locations to protect them from storms, erosion and other threats.
The numbers are preliminary as officials finalize the season's data.
