The best-known animals on Maryland’s Assateague Island National Seashore are the wild horses, but those ponies are about to come up against some competition: loggerhead sea turtles.

For the first time in recorded history, 100 hatchlings from a nest of the ocean turtle species successfully boogied their way down to the water, according to the National Park Service. The agency says that, while it has documented previous nests on Assateague, this is the first confirmed hatch.

While loggerhead sea turtles live in oceans around the world, those that make the Atlantic their home generally nest on beaches ranging from North Carolina to Florida, says NPS, and it is rare to see successful nests north of Virginia.

Loggerheads, despite being the most plentiful marine turtle species in the U.S., are considered endangered in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. They weigh about 250 pounds, though National Geographic says turtles of more than 1,000 pounds have been discovered. They can live more than 50 years.

While eggs can hatch between late June and mid-November, depending on when they were laid. NPS isn’t expecting any more hatchlings this season. Staffers with the agency scope 20 miles of shoreline, looking for nests of turtles and species. If they find one, they will place temporary closures and fencing around it to prevent other humans from destroying it.

NPS has high hopes for more turtles to come. “We are totally stoked about the prospect of finding another successful nest next summer!” the agency said.