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Nicaragua Travel |
Nicaragua Sea TurtlesNicaragua has two coastlines, the Pacific and the Caribbean, and both contain important nesting sites for Nicaragua sea turtles. Of the seven species of sea turtles known to man, no less than five can be found in the Nicaraguan waters. If you want to watch female sea turtles nest or baby sea turtles make their perilous journey into the water, it is important to plan ahead since such events will not take place every night. On a few Nicaraguan beaches, thousands of female sea turtles will arrive once or a few times are year to lay their eggs together. In Nicaragua, such occasions are known as arribadas. On other Nicaraguan beaches, it is more common for small groups, or even single females, to land once in a while to lay eggs without coordinating their nesting. Nicaragua Sea Turtles – Green TurtleThe scientific name for this species is Chelonia mydas. In Nicaragua, you can find them along both the Pacific coast and the Caribbean coast. A Green turtle can reach a length of over 100 cm and weigh up to 180 kg. It will not reproduce until it is at least 20-50 years old, which make this species highly vulnerable to extinction. The Green turtle is included the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and listed as Endangered. Thousands of Green Turtles are killed in Nicaragua each year, chiefly for meat consumption. Nicaragua Sea Turtles – Hawksbill TurtleThe scientific name for this sea turtle is Eretmochelys imbricata. It can reach a length of nearly 100 cm, but rarely weighs over 75 kg. These Nicaragua sea turtles are present on both sides of the country and their shells are sometimes sold as souvenirs. The Hawksbill turtle is on the brink of extinction and is listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Nicaragua Sea Turtles – Leatherback TurtleThe scientific name for the Leatherback turtle is Dermochelys coriacea. Just like the Hawksbill turtle, this species is on the brink of extinction and listed as Critically Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The Leatherback turtle is the largest known turtle in the sea; it can exceed 150 cm in length and weigh up to 700 kg. You can see these huge Nicaragua turtles on both the Pacific side and the Caribbean side of the country. Nicaragua Sea Turtles – Loggerhead TurtleThe scientific name for this species is Caretta caretta. It is called Loggerhead since the head is very large in proportion to the rest of the body. Unlike the three sea turtle species described above, the Loggerhead turtle is not found on the Pacific side of Nicaragua. It can reach a length of nearly 100 cm and weigh over 100 kg. It is listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Nicaragua Sea Turtles – Olive Ridley TurtleThe scientific name for the Olive Ridley Turtle is Lepidochelys olivacea. If you want to see this turtle gather for huge arribadas, you should head for the Pacific side of Nicaragua. These Nicaragua sea turtles are listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. They are some of the smallest sea turtles in the world; their carapace usually stays under 70 cm in length and their weight rarely exceeds 45-50 kg.
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