Key Facts: Sea Turtle

Sea Turtle (Information from The Field Guide to the Wildlife of Costa Rica.)
Total Length: 60.2 inches ( shell length averages 39.3 inches)
Weight : 130 to 440 pounds.
Range : Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans in tropical  regions.

In Costa Rica : Found along Costa Rica’s coasts. Although the Green Turtle nests at other beaches in the Caribbean. This turtle are also found along the Pacific coast of tropical America and are sometimes regarded as a separate species  Chelonia agassizii. They are more greenish to olive- brown and have conspicuous indentations on the carapace above the hind legs.

Nesting period : From June through November; and a peak on August. Their arribadas   (about 5000 and 15000 Green turtles ) during hide tide. The sex of the baby turtles is determined by temperature. Warm – Female and Cool more males
Description : Female goes ashore to nest 3 to 7 times at 30 day intervals. She digs a hole 15 to 20 inches deep with her hind flippers. About 100 – 150 eggs  are laid each time. Female reproduce once every to 2 to 3 years. The eggs hatch after incubating for 45 to 60 days. Hatching turtles have many predators: frigate birds, coatis, coyotes, feral dogs, pigs, raccoons, opossums, vultures, sharks and crabs.

Feeding : Green Turtles mainly eat plants. They also eat mangrove roots and leaves and green, brown and red algae. Occasional animal foods include small mollusks, crustaceans, sponges, and jellyfish. These turtle may live 30 or 40 years.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 9th, 2009 at 8:46 am. It is filed under Archives, Costa Rica, Nature, Sustainability. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.