An olive ridley sea turtle has laid eggs on an Orange County beach in what officials say is the first recorded natural nesting of any sea turtle species on the U.S. West Coast.

The turtle was observed digging a nest and laying eggs Wednesday, Sept. 16, on a beach near Seal Beach, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said on social media.

Three days later, a sea turtle was spotted again on a beach several miles south near the Huntington Beach Pier. Officials said it remains unclear whether the second sighting involved the same turtle or a different one.

Local, state, and federal agencies are monitoring the nesting sites throughout the incubation period, which typically lasts 45 to 60 days.

Both areas have been fenced off and protected, with interpretive signs installed, the agency said. NOAA urged beachgoers to stay away from the sites and avoid disturbing fencing or signage.

Officials said olive ridley turtles are the smallest sea turtles, with adults weighing up to 100 pounds and measuring about 2.5 to 3 feet long. They are estimated to live 30 to 50 years.

The turtles are found around the world, primarily in tropical waters of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans. Major Pacific nesting populations are found in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Although olive ridley turtles are occasionally seen in Southern California after following warm ocean currents, NOAA said the species had never previously been documented nesting in the United States.

Sea turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

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