Turtles in Costa Rica

The pictures of the egg-laying of the leatherback turtles have made Costa Rica famous. Huge turtles roll onto the beach panting as they dig deep holes where they lay their eggs then cover them and disappear back into the open sea. 

With a shell length of 8 feet and a weight of up to 1500 pounds the leatherback turtle is the largest living turtle species in the world. The animals can live up to 30 years. Leatherback turtles can dive quickly, about 1.5 feet per second, and can reach an incredible depth of up to ¾ of a mile. This is possible through a special function of their body where the volume of their lungs decreases greatly as the depth of the water increases.

Real long-distance swimmers

They feed mainly on jellyfish and need between 22 and 220 pounds of it per day. They can easily catch and eat jellyfish because of the sharp horny edges on their jaws. Leatherback sea turtles are found in all tropical and subtropical seas although they can occasionally be seen in temperate zones during the summer. This is one of the most extensive habitats compared to other reptiles. 

Leatherback turtles have dark skin with a layer of fat on top. This means that they are also able to live in cool water. Their body temperature is kept up to 18 degrees above that of the surrounding water, so every now and then animals can be spotted off the coasts of Scotland. On the other hand, little is known about their migratory behavior except that they cover up to 3,000 miles in spring. 

Leatherback turtles do not have a typical dorsal shield with horny scales, the loosely connected bony shell is surrounded by a leathery skin. The elongated shell, tapering to a point at the back shining with its blue-black color, shows seven thickened bone plates. Five more can be found on the belly armor. Since their neck is quite short compared to other tortoise species it cannot retract into the shell. Their extremities were transformed into long paddles on which there are no longer any claws which is rather unusual for turtles. Another peculiarity of her body can be discovered on their heads where each turtle has an individually formed pink spot for which its function is unknown. Researchers suspect that it may be a light-sensitive patch of skin that helps them to orient themselves. 

Egg laying

Despite being extremely well adapted to aquatic life, leatherback turtles require land to lay their eggs. Their nests are built on sandy shores all over the world. About 64 nesting beaches around the world are known for this species including some in Costa Rica where these animals can be observed quite nicely. At night, the females of this species swim to the beach and dig a pit in which they lay about 50-100 eggs. Then they close the hollow, return to the sea, and leave the hatching to the heat generated by the sun alone. The clutches are highly endangered by predators, but after 55 to 56 days the young hatch and immediately go into the water. Little is known about the life of the turtle itself or the age of sexual maturity since mating and everything else takes place exclusively under water. Only the females return to the beach.

As with many other turtle species, the population of the leatherback turtle, which is around 100 million years old, is endangered. In addition to hunting and fishing, the rubbish floating in the sea also poses a great danger as they sometimes mistake plastic bags floating in the water for jellyfish and eat them. For years, researchers have struggled to find solutions to this problem in order to protect this fascinating species.

We are happy to organize trips for you to see the leatherback turtles laying their eggs. We strictly observe the country’s nature conservation regulations because uncontrolled observation harms the animals.

The olive ridley turtle gets its unusual name from a previous hypothesis that they arose from a cross between the green turtle and the loggerhead turtle. The olive-green coloring of their body and shell which can grow up to 27 inches long also influenced the naming of the animal. With a weight of up to 110 pounds the olive ridley turtle is one of the smallest species of sea turtles. Greenish markings can be found on their heart-shaped shell and their abdominal armor is yellowish-green in color which is only observed in adults. Juveniles, on the other hand, are gray-black on the upper side of their shell and the belly shell is cream-colored. 

Nutrition and Reproduction

The olive ridley turtle is found primarily in the Indian and Pacific Oceans as well as on the Asian and American coasts of those oceans. There it prefers to live in shallow coastal waters diving up to 500 feet and feeding on sea snakes, crabs, cephalopods, jellyfish, sea urchins and many other sea creatures. The previously widespread assumption that the animals also fed on plants could not be proven by documented observations. 

During the egg-laying period they land in large numbers on the breeding beaches where several thousand females can be seen on just a short stretch of beach. Also the choice of the time of day to which they land on the beaches is unusual compared to other animals of the sea turtle genus. The olive ridley turtles prefer to land in broad daylight. Particularly strong windy days are very popular with animals. The female animals lay between 80 and 160 eggs in their clutches. After about 45 to 60 days, the hatchlings hatch and head straight for the sea if they make it past raccoons, vultures and caracaras. 

Where can you watch the animals laying their eggs?

This tortoise species was heavily hunted for years for the meat and eggs and are now internationally protected by the Washington Convention on the Protection of Endangered Species. Another problem threatening the survival of this species is longline fishing. Olive ridley turtles are the most common bycatch (un-intended catch) in the fishery killing many animals. 

The animals can be seen year-round but especially between September and December in Santa Rosa National Park and in Guanacaste National Park. The animals also like to stay in the Ostional Wildlife Refuge a little further south on the Nicoya Peninsula especially in the months when they are laying their eggs. Unfortunately in Costa Rica many travelers visit the beaches on which the eggs are laid and disturb the turtles, despite clear indications, by using photo flashes or even stealing the eggs.

The hawksbill turtle can grow up to 3 feet long, weigh up to 165 pounds and live between 30 and 40 years. Their horny plates overlap each other and are considered a true tortoise shell which is the most valuable form of the coveted raw material and used in handicrafts and jewelry. The head of the hawksbill turtle is very narrow. Adult animals usually have a black to dark brown coloration and sometimes have yellowish, light brown, or reddish spots. They feed on sponges or molluscs and coral polyps as well as seaweed. What is striking, however, is that young animals do not eat any plant-based food. 

The mating of these animals takes place exclusively in the water and can last for several hours. In several large clutches 90 to 175 eggs can be found. Unfortunately, these animals are heavily hunted for their meat, eggs and especially their tortoiseshell. Interestingly, eating the meat of the animals can be quite dangerous for humans if the animals have previously eaten poisonous sea animals or plants. The extremely high value of the shells makes the protection of the hawksbill turtle massively difficult. It has led to both subspecies being threatened with extinction today and internationally protected by the Washington Convention on Endangered Species.

Not quite as big as the leatherback turtle and yet quite impressive is the green turtle. With a shell length of over 3 feet, a weight of up to 400 pounds and a life expectancy of 40-50 years, the green turtle lives in tropical and subtropical seas worldwide. The animals are often referred to as green sea turtles because of the color of their shell. They usually wear different shades of brown on the upper side which are peppered with greenish or dark brown spots. The underside of the carapace as well as the seams between the back plates of the animals is light yellow. Another feature of green turtles’ bodies is that they have an elongated claw on their front flippers. The size of the animals can vary depending on the sex and adult females are usually larger than the males. Another distinguishing feature is the male’s tail which is significantly longer. 

During oviposition (laying of the eggs) the females lay several clutches within a few weeks with about 100 eggs from which young hatch after about two to three months. Once they have dug themselves out of the sand unaided they immediately find a way into the sea. Aside from the egg-laying season green turtles live alone as solitary creatures. 

Their diet changes throughout their life. Young animals first feed on meat, which consists of squid and eggs from fish or sponges. Later adult animals become mostly vegetarian feeding on the seagrass meadows that appear to be floating in the sea. 

The green turtle owes its name mainly to the fact that it was hunted for its meat for a long time. It quickly served as a living ship’s provisions for soups and other dishes. Their eggs were also very popular, which became widespread in the 18th century thanks to the British who described the animal as a delicacy. As a result, towards the end of the 19th century hunting of the animals had already reached such proportions that the animals were threatened with extinction. Because of this, they were placed under international protection in 1988 by the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The green turtle is still considered a delicacy in Asia and the Caribbean which makes it much more difficult to prevent the hunt for these animals and thus their conservation. 

In Costa Rica, it is possible to see the animals between October and March, particularly well in Santa Rosa National Park and Guanacaste National Park both located in northern Costa Rica close to the Nicaraguan border.

The loggerhead turtle grows up to 4 feet long and weighs up to 250 pounds. It has a thicker head than the hawksbill turtle with powerful jaws and five instead of four pairs of rib shields. The males can be identified by their longer tail and longer curved claws. 

A specific feature of the loggerhead turtles is that mating usually takes place on the water surface. The female animals lay multiple clutches of 20 to 180 eggs each. The interval between individual ovipositors can vary between 12 and 23 days.

In Costa Rica, both species can be observed during the breeding season. In the Las Baulas Marine Park near Tamarindo, in the Corcovado National Park, in the Tortuguero National Park and in the Ostional Wildlife Refuge. In the latter, however, only hawksbill turtles can be seen between May and October. 

Their continued existence can only be guaranteed through intensive protective measures. In order to protect the turtles in Costa Rica there are several projects that help young turtles to survive the first few days with the help of volunteers as only about 5% of the young animals can survive without outside help.