TURTLES 101
Sea turtles (Chelonioidea) are turtles found
in all the world's oceans. Most are endangered.
Sea turtles spend almost all their lives at sea. Like
all reptiles the females must lay their eggs on land. The turtles
do not choose just any beach, but return to the place where they
were born.
The female turtle can lay as many as 200 eggs in her
nest, or "clutch." After an incubation period of 45 to 52 days,
the baby turtles hatch, dig their way out and scramble to the sea
at night.
Sea turtles have an extraordinary sense of time and
location. They are highly sensitive to the Earth's magnetic field
and probably use it to navigate. They can live up to 200 years.
TURTLE TOURS
Tourism leaders are encouaging travelers and locals
to participate in turtle conservation efforts.
In an effort to protect the eggs from poachers and
predators, conservationists (often accompanied by visitors) scour
the beaches every night during the nesting season. Eggs are collected
and reburied in fenced-in corrals on the beach, where they can be
monitored until it is time to hatch.
SPECIES
KEMP'S RIDLEY - The Kemp's Ridley (Lepidochelys
Kempii), the smallest of sea turtles, is also the most endangered.
It was named for Richard Kemp, a fisherman who shipped specimens
to Harvard University from Key West, Florida, in the late 1800s.
Kemp's Ridley turtles lay 95 percent of their eggs on a beach at
Playa Rancho Nuevo in Tamaulipas, Mexico.
LEATHERBACK - The species lives in the Atlantic,
Pacific and Indian Oceans. The Leatherback is the largest of the
turtles. An individual can weigh more than a ton and reach 7 to
8 feet in length.
GREEN TUTLE - Green turtles (Caguama negra
or Tortuga prieta) inhabit tropical and subtropical
seas and nest on the southern beaches. Individuals can weigh up
to 200 pounds and reach 3 to 4 feet in length.
BLACK TURTLE - The Black turtle is medium sized.
HAWKSBILL - Hawksbill turtles prefer the coral
reefs and rocky areas in tropical seas. Loggerheads are also hearty
turtles. They can weigh up to 100 pounds and reach 4 feet in length.
OLIVE RIDLEY - The Olive Ridley is a small turtle
found in the Americas and Asia. Individuals can weigh 70 and 80
pounds and reach 2.5 feet in length.
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