Baja Turtles

Hello everyone,

This year looks promising for the return of our three endangered species of Sea Turtles.

We have Three Endangered species of Sea Turtle: the Leatherback, Olive Ridley, and Eastern Pacific Green Sea Turtle.

We have four leatherback nests now, marked and protected.  It makes all of us excited to have these great giants here and nesting.   These have been noted to be the most endangered species of Sea Turtle here in the East Cape.  It can take up to five decades before they return to nest after hatching.   We will report on the release of these Leatherback hatchlings in about 65 days.  This is the normal period for the eggs to develope and hatch.  The mortality rate can differ on the size of the nesting hole created.  How far the egg drops can be a factor, depening on how severe the impact when it hits the bottom of the nest. Some of the eggs wont make
form the very start. It is amazing to see the struggle and survival of these turtles.  

There has been release of Olive Ridley hatchlings this last week.  Due to the colder weather, the incubation period was lengthened by 20 days.  These babies are smaller and less active.  It takes a lot of patience and nurturing to ensure that they arrive to the sea.  We are devoted to rescuing each and every hatchling that we can and it is wonderful to see these babies enter the water.   In this most recent nest we counted 90 eggs and hatchlings.  44 turtles were released into the sea of cortez.  The nest was located in Buenos Ares, Baja California Sur, Mexico.   The mother Olive Ridley turtle layed the eggs in a path of danger.   Our organization decided it was best to relocate the clutch of eggs to a safer nesting site close by.  We are delighted to see that our efforts have given these little ones a good headstart on their journey to the feeding grounds in the Pacific Ocean. 

Spectators

Olive Ridley Baby Turtles

On Monday December, 7th we have successfully release another nest of baby Eastern Pacific Green Sea Turtles. The nest had 88 hatch-lings and the colder weather made their journey a little slower. We had a wonderful gathering of Holiday visitors and volunteers to help these turtles on their way to the Sea of Cortez. December brings welcomed tourists to our beaches, and also the need for increased protection of these endangered species. The nest was located in an area of the East Cape called Buenos Aires. As you head out of town past the first arroyo there is a stretch of land wedged between two arroyos. This is Buenos Aries and we have had several turtles nesting here. Many forms of danger exist here for the turtles. Water Flow from the two arroyos, beach traffic, natural predators, and domestic animals. We are working with a local group ( exotickites ) to make aware the plight of The Endangered Sea Turtle. They have many avenues to help us in our efforts to protect and preserve this pristine coastline.

We are having wonderful weather, and the return of the tourists is in full swing. Today we sighted the return of a Leatherback Turtle (or Tortuga Laud in Spanish). The female Leatherback turtle came to shore at Lighthouse Point, just to the south of Los Barilles, to lay her eggs.

We were able to mark the turtle nest and we hope to protect it during the turtle egg incubation period. Leatherback turtle eggs usually hatch in about 50 to 75 days from the day they are laid. The incubation period varies depending on the weather conditions with dry and warm weather shortening the sea turtle egg incubation time. This can also decrease the survival rate of the turtle eggs. Leatherback turtles can lay up to four times a year and the number of eggs usually varies from 45 to 160.

The Leatherback turtle is the largest species of sea turtle and it’s been known to weigh as much as a ton. The Leatherback turtle’s scientific name is Dermochelys Coriacea.

Photos courtesy of rustinpc (1 – 2 – 3)

You never know when there will be a call for help. These baby Green sea turtles ended up hatching in the middle of heavy beach traffic and were therefore at risk of not surviving on their way to the sea. The hotel manager of Playa Del Sol (Tomas) gave us a call and we immediately began the rescue.

The rescue also turned into an opportunity to teach and give people a first hand experience of helping the sea turtles. There were a number of hotel guests and other vacationers on the beach who were able to see the hatching and were introduced to some of the difficulties these sea turtles have for their survival.

Welcome to Baja turtles. This site is dedicated to helping sea turtles in the East Cape region of Baja California Mexico by marking sea turtle nests, educating the local population on visiting tourists about the current plight of the sea turtle in Baja California and releasing baby sea turtles into the wild. It is our hope that through sea turtle conservation, sea turtle education and sea turtle release, we can create an environment where an eco tourism program can sustain and increase the sea turtle population in East Cape Baja California with the help of the local population.