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White sea turtle hatchling spotted on South Carolina beach

KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Volunteers in South Carolina made an unusual find along the Kiawah Island shore over the weekend.

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According to The Associated Press, the Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol discovered a white sea turtle hatchling on the beach Sunday.

“You can imagine the excited ‘oohs’ and the ‘aahs’ from the guests, including some [College of Charleston] students, when the patroller found a lone, leucistic hatchling in the nest,” the town of Kiawah Island captioned a group of photos on Facebook.

The post added: “Leucism is a condition where animals have reduced pigmentation. Leucism is different from albinism as albino animals have a complete loss of pigment, leaving them completely white with red or pink eyes.”

This morning, our Kiawah Island Turtle Patrol #kitp , Zone 8, inventoried the last nest on the island. #338. You can...

Posted by Town of Kiawah Island, SC on Sunday, October 18, 2020

Sea turtles are usually gray or green, the AP reported. Spotting a white one “was a first for everyone in attendance,” the town wrote in its Facebook post.

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