how many eggs does a sea turtle lay

We all love turtles, don’t we? These beautiful creatures often lurk in the sea and on land! Sea turtles aren’t an exception to this either: they are some of the most majestic creatures on the planet! Getting to watch one of them swimming through the water is a beautiful thing, going through the coral reefs and simply sunbathing under the sun on the beach. If you’ve never “stumbled upon a sea turtle” in your bucket list, let me tell you that there are many places in Central America to do so!

The Importance of Protecting Sea Turtles

For those that are animal enthusiasts like us, it can be really difficult to imagine a planet without sea turtles. But the truth is that such a future isn’t that far if we continue like this, without doing anything. Did you know that there are only 7 species of sea turtles at the moment? All of them are endangered. This is really sad and something must be done about it. They’re listed as vulnerable by the IUCN, and according to specialists, the number of living turtles have been plummeting a lot lately. This is mostly because they’re losing their habitat, due to human activity: fishing.

The waters of Central America are known to offer several opportunities for sea turtle sightings. Once you’ve spotted a few, knowing how to behave around sea turtles and their nests is tantamount to the species’ preservation. By acting responsibly and with the intent of protecting turtle habitats, we can gaze at these wondrous creatures without hurting their populations.

What To Do if You Encounter a Sea Turtle

You should consider yourself lucky if you ever enjoy the privilege of coming face-to-face with a sea turtle on a beach. These marine reptiles tend to prefer life in the waves, and come ashore only for brief periods.

Did you know that during nesting season turtles come to the shore to lay their eggs? That’s right! If you’re lucky enough to be in Central America during this period, you might be able to see it! But be careful: preventing the theft of turtle eggs is also important if you want to keep these beautiful animals safe!

We know that watching a turtle from really close can be a very exciting thing. But don’t do it. It’s important to carry out certain steps and follow a strict guideline to do so. These are the steps:

First of all, avoid touching them under any circumstances. It’s extremely important to know their conservation status, since in some cases it can be illegal to do it. Also, touching it can stress the turtle and prevent it from completing its nest.
When getting closer, always stay out of reach and avoid making loud noises. Why? Because they can frighten the turtle, as well as protecting your own body from getting injured. While these turtles aren’t aggressive, a bite from them is very strong!
Don’t forget to turn off any source of artificial light. They’re very sensitive to it, especially to flashes when you take a picture. When many flashy lights surround them, they can get lost from their nest.
Try not to disturb their track on the sand. Why? While it doesn’t affect them, it can affect researchers! People who help these animals use them to study the local turtle populations.

What To Do if a Sea Turtle Approaches You

Sea turtles are shy animals that keep to themselves. They aren’t aggressive and maintain safe distances from humans and other animals. The most probable time to live a sea turtle encounter is when they come to the beach to nest.

In the rare instance that a sea turtle approaches you, it’s important to remember the guidelines we mentioned above. Don’t try to touch it or expose it to flash lighting. Avoid startling or stressing it out. If a turtle becomes frightened, it might flee, bite you, or skip it’s nesting behavior.

What To Do if You Discover a Sea Turtle Nest

Once turtle mothers fulfill their maternal duty of laying the eggs in a nest of sand, they leave the clutch of eggs and return to the sea. An average clutch could contain anywhere between 40 to 150 eggs.

When it comes to sea turtle spot places, most are recorded and monitored by specialists in wildlife; meaning that it’s very unlikely you’ll find one that is not. Most sea turtle sites are recorded and monitored by scientists. So, if you ever encounter one nest that isn’t monitored, the smartest move is to stay away from it! Don’t dig out the eggs or grab them! Simply call the authorities so they can know that there’s a nest nearby: leave the experts to do their job.

The same rule applies to nesting turtles. Remember this: you have to leave them in peace! Don’t harass them with bright lights and flash photography. There’s a big reason behind this: the mom must finish her nest and lay her eggs without being disturbed! If you are able to plan ahead and believe you may meet a nesting sea turtle, make sure you only use a turtle-safe red light like this one.

When sea turtle eggs hatch, the entire clutch emerges from the nest en masse. These hatchlings must make a perilous journey to the sea while braving a gauntlet of predators and harsh conditions. Despite their cute appearance, you shouldn’t approach baby turtles. Enjoy witnessing the natural spectacle emerging from the sand, but do not interfere in any way.

Other ways we can protect sea turtles include:

Reducing light pollution at beaches
Keeping the beach clean of litter and debris
Staying away from nesting sites
Boycotting chemical products that pollute the ocean
Volunteering and donating to organizations that are dedicated to turtle conservation

Sea Turtle Species in the Pacific Ocean

There are seven species of sea turtles in the planet’s oceans, and six of them can be found in the Pacific Ocean. The whole ocean is their home, with a few species migrating from California to Japan! However, as cold-blooded reptiles, all sea turtles always prefer really warm waters. This makes the Pacific coast of Central America and its balmy neotropical weather a turtle’s paradise!

Let’s talk a bit about the sea turtle species you can find in South America, as well as Central America, shall we?

Olive Ridley Turtle: This is considered the smallest one in the Pacific. Did you know that? Their nesting is often communal and live in groups, which usually reach thousands.
Hawksbill Turtle: Their name comes from its beak-shaped mouth. If you’re wondering what they use it for, it’s for devouring sea sponges and soft corals (some of their favorite food, actually!).
Flatback Turtle: Usually found in shallow waters, this beautiful turtle can be found chasing smaller invertebrates like snails and sea slugs!
Loggerhead Turtle: This one is an easy type to recognise. Why? Because of its distinctive head shape! They usually hunt down crustaceans with hard shells for their dinner. Good examples are lobsters, crabs, and shrimps!
Green Turtle: The world’s largest hard-shelled turtle species, they are gentle giants that thrive on a vegetarian diet of seagrass and algae.
Leatherback Turtle: An open ocean giant, these massive turtles specialize in diving to deep depths to hunt jellyfish. Sadly, they are close to extinction in the Eastern Tropical Pacific.

Among the different species, the olive ridley turtle is the most abundant. So, if you go looking for turtles, this is the one you’ll most likely come across. Though still endangered, its larger population is due to mass nesting events that are called “arribadas.” These take place in Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

Wanna know another really interesting fact about the species? The female olive ridleys nest one to three times during the nesting season. The result? Producing clutches of around 100 eggs each time! That can be a lot! According to the NOAA, 450,000 olive ridley turtles nest in Mexico every 12 months. Meanwhile, 600,000 of them lay their eggs in Costa Rica yearly, in particular at the seashores of Nancite and Ostional. That’s why it’s so crucial to take care of them and save their eggs from theft.

But that’s not all. Are you looking for more places to spot ‘em? Tortuguero in Costa Rica, Jiquilisco Bay in El Salvador, and Monterrico in Guatemala. If you want even more, we got you covered! La Flor Wildlife Refuge in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, near where we work, it’s a great place to spot them.

How To Recognize an Olive Ridley Sea Turtle

If you encounter a sea turtle, there’s a big chance that it’s an olive ridley. So, let’s find out how you can recognize this species.

You can distinguish olive ridleys by their heart-shaped gray-green to olive carapaces or top shells. They have anywhere from five to nine pairs of scutes (or those bony plates on their shells). Each of their flippers have one or two claws.

Olive ridleys are one of the smaller sea turtles. Most measure between two and 2.5 feet long.

If You Encounter a Sea Turtle, Protect It By Behaving Responsibly

So, now you know why sea turtles are in danger, right? The importance of doing the correct thing is a must to avoid affecting their habitat. The difference between leaving them alone or not can be the reason why they go to their nest or not, forgetting their nest. So, next time you see one, keep your distance and don’t make noise! Can you touch sea turtles? No! Don’t touch them or stress them out with bright lights.

Central America’s sea turtles are a natural treasure. Paso Pacífico fights tirelessly for their cause, patrolling beaches with turtle nesting sites and undertaking measures to prevent egg theft and poaching. Our dedication to protecting sea turtles can achieve even greater results with your support!

Filed Under: Wildlife Conservation Tagged With: baby turtles, how long does it take for sea turtle eggs to hatch, how many eggs does a sea turtle lay, olive ridley sea turtle