BY SHERRY WHITE

Special to The Pilot

Q. Why don't the baby sea turtles at the aquarium have somewhere to climb out of the water to rest?

A. That's a good question and we hear it often. Unlike pond turtles, which leave the water to bask or lay eggs, sea turtles spend their entire lives in the ocean -- except for mature females that come ashore briefly to nest.

Like their semi-aquatic pond cousins, female sea turtles dig nests and lay eggs on shore -- all in a few hours -- then return to sea. On our beaches, it's the loggerhead that nests most frequently. Amazingly, loggerheads don't reach sexual maturity until they're 20 to 30 years old!

When baby sea turtles hatch and emerge from the nest, they make their way instantly and instinctively toward the ocean and begin swimming. With the exception of mature females, the turtles will live in the open ocean the rest of their lives. At the aquariums, we re-create the hatchlings' habitat as closely as possible, which means no structures in their tanks for climbing out of the water.

In the wild, and in the aquariums' sea turtle nurseries, the turtles rest by floating on top of the water. You will sometimes see hatchlings resting or sleeping with their flippers tucked over their backs. Mature sea turtles often wedge themselves into rocky areas or under ledges on the ocean floor. In this inactive state, they can rest or sleep for several hours.

The state operates three public aquariums; one in Pine Knoll Shores, another at Fort Fisher and a third on Roanoke Island. The aquariums are administered by the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and are designed to inspire appreciation and conservation of North Carolina's aquatic environment.

For more information about the Aquariums, visit www.ncaquariums.com, or call 800-832-FISH.