RPT staff got a first nesting record of a Pacific Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Playa Hermosa!

On Saturday night, Óscar, director of Reserva Playa Tortuga, had a hunch and decided to accompany some volunteers who would go to monitor Playa Hermosa the next day, a place that in recent months has received dozens of Olive Ridley turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) that have come to nest.

Before the sun rose over the mountain, the team of local volunteers and members of RPT were ready to tour the beach.Around 5:00 am one of them spotted a turtle footprint and that was how all were amazed to contemplate and witness the first nesting record of a Pacific Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Playa Hermosa.They remained silent and calm in front of such a wonderful experience, so as not to interrupt the nesting process. The fact that they appeared during the day called a lot of attention, since according to the director of RPT, they are quite shy.

Some interesting facts about the Pacific Green Turtle:

• It is a species declared in danger of extinction and the populations of the Eastern Pacific are highly threatened and their numbers are low.
• Many call it Black Turtle since it has a darker coloration than those of the Caribbean.
• They are the second largest turtles in terms of size
• The length of the shell reaches about 89 cm
• They can weigh more than 100 kilos
• They reach their sexual maturity between 25 and 35 years
• It is believed that they can live to be 70 years old
• The biggest threats are: poaching and hunting of nests, the loss of nesting habitats and pollution of the oceans.

It seems important to us to make a call to the neighbors who frequent this beach, since although one part has been committed to the conservation of these species, on the other hand there is misinformation regarding the care that the turtle habitats should have, as is the case of Playa Hermosa.

Although it is a public beach, we must be respectful with the animals that use these same spaces, even more so when it comes to endangered species, so we call to keep pets controlled or on a leash, and not to leave burning fires, since these could be factors that would affect the nesting of a Turtle.We invite the community to continue working together, especially as it has been done this year.

Photos by Felipe Thomas