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A tiny group of East Pacific green sea turtles has permanently settled in the waters off La Jolla Shores, where they’re socializing with snorkelers and divers, a subtle change in nature that has left scientists a bit puzzled.
The four resident turtles are living in a largely unprotected stretch of coastline, which also is unusual. And they’re swimming in water that sometimes gets colder than the animals’ typical habitat.
“We appear to be seeing the result of 30 years of conservation efforts that has increased the population of green sea turtles, and some are expanding into new territories to forage,” said Megan Hanna, a UC San Diego-trained marine biologist who just published a study on the La Jolla turtles in the journal