For the first time in recorded history, an olive ridley sea turtle nested on the U.S. West Coast, laying eggs on Sept. 16 near Seal Beach, Calif., about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. Three days later, another nesting was spotted near Huntington Pier. Scientists say the event signals warming ocean waters, accelerated by a major El Niño pattern heating the Pacific. Greg Pauly, curator of herpetology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, called Southern California the "epicenter" for unusual marine sightings, including hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, and tropical species moving north.

The threatened olive ridley, the smallest sea turtle at up to 100 pounds, typically nests in tropical waters off Mexico and India. NOAA Fisheries has fenced and is monitoring the nests during their two-month incubation. Sand temperature determines hatchling survival and sex, with cooler temperatures producing more males. Experts warn that while range expansion is positive for endangered species, long-term impacts remain unknown if waters cool again. Record-breaking ocean temperatures are expected to peak later this year, raising concerns amid the excitement of this historic nesting event.