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John F. Kennedy International Airport’s operation was temporarily interrupted on Wednesday morning, July 8, 2009 after 78 turtles, yes turtles, crawled onto the runway. The turtles were identified to be Diamondback Terrapin. It is said to have emerged from the nearby Jamaica Bay, a species common there, to look for breeding grounds.

These turtles derived its name from the diamond pattern on its shell. They are native to salty swamps in southern and eastern of the United States. Diamondback terrapins breed during early summer in sandy areas and they were probably drawn to the sand along one side of the runway.

The airport crews gathered up the turtles in about 35 minutes according to John Kelly, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey spokesman. The each turtle is about 8-10 inches long and weigh 2 to 3 pounds.

“Presumably, all these turtles were feeling amorous,” Port Authority spokesman John Kelly told the New York Times’ City Room blog.

The turtles were first seen around 8:30am in one of the airport’s runway by one of the pilot. The staff immediately collected them and placed them back in the bay. Even though the flights were still delayed for up to an hour and a half, everybody was cool to about turtles going off to hatch more turtles, added by Kelly.