How do turtle eggs hatch?

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The hatching of a turtle consists of two separate events: exiting the egg and emerging from the nest. Hatchlings use a pointed keratinous bump, called a caruncle, on the tip of their snout to break the inner surface of the eggshell. They then tear a larger opening and climb out. To emerge from the nest, hatchlings dig upward, most often together, through the material covering the nest.