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| Olive
Ridley |
Lepidochelys olivacea
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Tortuga Lora |
This is one of the smallest turtles, measuring 60 to 75 cm long and
weighing
35 to 40 Kg. Their shells are drab olive green and they are known to
nest
in solitary fashion on more than forty beaches on the Pacific coast of
Costa
Rica between the months of June and December.
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| Nesting
& Food |
The Olive Ridley is the only species of turtle that exhibits the
synchronized mass nesting
phenomenon known as "Arribadas". These arribadas occur at Nancite in
the
rainy season from May to December and in Ostional all year round.
Their main food source is shrimp, crustacea and other invertebrates
such as squid.
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| Education
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Literature
& eBooks
Children's Classic Literature by Twain, Bronte, Fitzgerald, Hawthorne,
Thoreau and more.
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Costa Rica's Olive Ridley Turtles
PLAYA OSTIONAL. This beach, made famous by Dr.
Douglas Robinson, is located
at the village of Ostional north of Punta Guiones close to Playa
Nosara.
Access is via Nicoya to Nosara and from Santa Cruz. The final stretches
are
advisably accessible via four-wheel drive vehicles in the rainy season.
This is the most important Arribada beach in the world and is the
location
of the only legal turtle egg harvest. Due to the fact that such a large
proportion
of the eggs are lost to natural causes, Ostional's local development
association
(ADIO) controls the legal harvest and sale of about 1,000,000 eggs a
month.
The beach area and marine waters are protected by the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge,
and the project is overseen by strict scientific control to assure that
no damage
is being done to the turtle population.
It is generally accepted that this is one of the truly sustainable
yield
projects in the world, benefiting both man and turtle. §
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| Ostional National Wildlife Refuge |
PLAYA
NANCITE. This 1km long beach is located in Santa Rosa National
Park. Olive
Ridley and other turtles that nest here are totally protected. After
Ostional
this is the second most important nesting beach in the world.
The occurence of the arribada is directly related to the lunar cycle,
normally
starting with the last quarter of the moon but may occur with the first
quarter.
It is impossible to predict the exact time or possibility of an
arribada
but the best months are between May and December. Access to Nancite is
through
the park via Playa Naranjo and is possible only on foot. §
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Five of the world's seven species of marine turtles
come to nest on the beaches of Costa Rica. The Green Turtle (Chelonia
mydas
) nests on the Caribbean coast and the Black Turtle or "Tora" and Olive
Ridley
or "Lora" (Lepidochelys olivacea) nest on the Pacific coast. The
Leatherback
or "Baula" (Dermochelys coriacea) and the Hawksbill or "Carey"
(Eretmochelys
imbricata) nest on both coasts. There have been a few reports of
Loggerhead
or "Cabezona" (Caretta caretta) nesting on the Caribbean coast but none
on
the Pacific.
On both coasts one may find many beaches where turtles nest in solitary
fashion
which means that between one and twenty turtles may nest on any given
night.
There are at least forty beaches in this category. Due to their low
numbers,
it is difficult to observe turtles nesting on these beaches.
In the second category are the beaches where intensive nesting takes
place.
This means that between twenty and one hundred turtles may nest on a
given
night. These beaches are ideal for observing turtles nesting. Among
beaches
in this category are, Playa Tortuguero (Green Turtles and Leatherbacks)
and
Playa Grande and Playa Naranjo (Leatherbacks).
In the third category are those beaches where MASSIVE nesting takes
place.
This phenomenon, called "Arribada", is the synchronized nesting of
thousands
of turtles for between three and nine days. The most important of these
beaches
are Ostional and Nancite.
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