Sea Turtle Nesting
- Ostional National Wildlife Refuge
This refuge was declared to protect a major nesting beach for Pacific Ridley Sea Turtles, as well as the waters offshore from the beach.
Several times a year, female turtles come ashore in such numbers that the sandy beach begins to resemble a stretch of rocky coastline.
During the peak nesting season from July through November, more than 100,000 nests may be made in just a few days. What triggers the ass nestings is still a mystery.
- Tortuguero National Park
The creation of this park in 1970 gave much needed protection to one of the region's most important and unique natural resources: a 22-km. stretch of shoreline that serves as the principal nesting site throughout the western half of the Caribbean Sea for the Atlantic Green Sea Turtle.
Watching these great reptiles emerge from the tropical sea and haul their 100+ kg. bodies ashore to lay their eggs under cover of darkness is truly a memorable spectacle. The nesting season for the green turtles extends from July to October.