Seven turtles were released into a suburban Chicago forest preserve after rescuers hand-raised the hatchlings when their mother was hit by a car.
Workers at the Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn incubated the eggs in deli cups all summer after the mother turtle was hurt in June.
The midland painted turtles began to hatch on Friday.
A spokeswoman for the DuPage County Forest Preserve District says the babies "could sit on a quarter with their little legs sticking out."
They were released Tuesday and quickly scampered into the water's submerged vegetation, where the babies have the best chance of hiding from predators.
If they survive in the wild, naturalist Kevin Luby says they'll eat mosquito larvae and minnows.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
