| Turtles |
| Alex´s word´s: We were waiting for the guide to take us to see the turtle laying eggs, when my mother told me that a biologist was working with baby turtles in a room at the back of the camp, we went to see and the biologist let me hold a baby, it was a happy feeling to have the baby wriggling in my hands. we also saw turtles in Sian kaan |
| We visited Xcacel with the hope to see a turtle come out of the water to lay her eggs, we were lucky, but the turtle encountered problems when digging and her nest filled with water, so instead of waiting another 2 hours we decided to give up. But our time there was very interesting, apart from a beautiful star filled sky and lovely breeze from the sea, the chief of the turtle project answered all of Alex´s questions, we also got to observe a biologist taking DNA samples from baby turtles, she is trying to find out if all the eggs in the same nest are from the same father. We have also swam with turtles at Akumal Alex´s questions and answers: How many eggs does the turtle lay? Each turtle lays from 80 to 130 eggs. How many times does she lay eggs each year? She can lay twice every 2 years. What do turtles eat? Some turtles graze( white) others eat fish, jellyfish... How long do the eggs take to hatch? Approximately 2 months, they hatch underground, when the eggs break they leave a place with oxygen that lets the first born turtles breathe while they wait for their brothers and sisters to hatch, and all emerge together. What is making them extinct? The massive construction of hotels which is taking their nesting places from them, the black market that buys there eggs and meat, and also fishing. The fact that there are less turtles contributes to jellyfish plagues. Do turtles migrate? Yes they travel long distances, and return to lay eggs in birth place, there habits are still being studied. It is a pity that many turtles return to lay eggs and find a hotel built in their beach :-( I saw Nemo, and the turtles followed the currents, is this true? Yes the turtle travel to Europe ( the Azores) and back, the trip takes 2 years. How long do turtles live? It is thought that they live to 150 years old. Which types of turtles live in the Caribbean? Caguamas, Blancas and Carey. How many turtles make it to adulthood? One out of each 1000. |