by KYW’s John Ostapkovich
Drexel University's entrant in the Great Turtle Race laid an egg, actually, lots of them.
The race was an effort to attract attention to the plight of the endangered leatherback turtle. Drexel turtle expert, Professor James Spotila, says the entrants were given GPS tags and set off from their nesting beach in Costa Rica to their summer feeding zone around the Gallapagos Islands, but Drexelina didn't stick with the plan:
"She headed out to sea and then came back and kept laying more nests, so she didn't win the race, but she won the race for survival."
Professor Spotila says only one in several hundred of Drexelina's hatchlings are likely to reach adulthood, but the publicity the event gathered through GreatTurtleRace.com has encouraged is backers to try again next year -- and for Drexelina, back in the saddle again.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
