105 loggerhead turtles born in Colombian Caribbean national park
Barranquilla, Colombia, Jul 13 (efe-epa).- A total of 105 loggerhead sea turtles were born in the Tayrona National Natural Park, one of the main eco-tourism attractions of the Colombian Caribbean.
The turtles hatched on Castillete beach, which is located in an area known as Cañaveral, the National Natural Parks of Colombia said on Monday.
According to the agency that manages all national parks and protected ares in the country, it is common to see this turtle species, which has been classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, floating in the sea where fishing is carried out.
Cristóbal Tobón, an official at the Tayrona park tasked with monitoring the arrival of the mother turtles and taking care of the nests, the hatching of the newborns and their entry into the sea, explained that the species gets its name from the large heads of the turtles, ranging between 20 to 25 centimeters (8-10 inches).
“In adulthood this turtle can reach a size between 70 and 150 centimeters, its weight can range between 150 to 200 kilos (330-440 pounds) and it feeds on shrimp, crustaceans, small fish, jellyfish and some plants,” Tobón said in a video released by PNN.
The loggerhead sea turtle is the only species of the Caretta genus, which belongs to the family Cheloniidae of marine turtles.
They are found in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
Although the largest nesting concentrations of the loggerhead turtle are found on the Florida peninsula in the United States, these sites are also located along the coast from Canada to Brazil.
In Colombia, this species travels between 10 and 12 kilometers (6-7 miles) to lay eggs in the protected area of the Tayrona park.
According to Colombia’s environmental authorities, the nesting and birth of turtles in the Tayrona National Natural Park show that the beaches of the protected area are in good state of conservation.
PNN highlighted the conservation state of the land ecosystems, such as the tropical dry forest and thorn scrub, cloudy and humid forests and marine-coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, beaches, rocky coastlines, coral reefs and seagrass, where diverse species live.
Tayrona park is a popular eco-tourism destination and is considered one of the most important ecological reserves in South America. EFE-EPA
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