The amazing Leatherback Turtle, which can grow up to 7 feet and weigh up to 2,000 pounds, nests each February and July. A fantastic place to see the female turtles hatching and burying their eggs is at the Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica and many tourists travel to this region to watch this spectacular wildlife occurence.
It is an unforgettable experience to see the sandy shores dotted with hundreds of the female Leatherbacks burying their laid eggs, before returning back to the warm sparkling waters. Wildlife experts say the temperature inside the nest determines the sex of the turtle hatchlings. A mix of male and female hatchlings occurs when the nest temperature is at 29.5 °c, while higher temperatures produce females and cooler temperatures produce males. The average temperature of Costa Rica in July is around the mid 20’s (°C ).
Tortuguero National Park is also the nesting ground to the Hawksbill, Loggerhead and the Pacific Green Turtle and has a variety of rainforests, woodlands, swamps and a lagoon – a vegetation rich playground for the wide variety of wildlife that exists here. A visit to the park in Costa Rica is a must-do for any wildlife lover who would like close contact with beautiful but endangered species, such as the Leatherback Turtle.
Bales Worldwide offers a trip which travels to Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica in July 2010 - the same time of the Leatherback Turtles nesting. For more information view the itinerary ‘Natural Wonders of Costa Rica‘ or view all of our Costa Rica tours.
About Jade Jackson
Other articles by Jade Jackson
Jade is a new member of the marketing team and will be at Bales Worldwide for a year, as part of her Public Relations degree. Her favourite places she has travelled to are Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, as she has a fondness for the middle Eastern culture. Although, there are plenty more places in the world that she would love to visit like Thailand! 