Monday, June 14, 2010
Leatherback Turtles Lays Nest on Klein Bonaire, Nest is Relocated to Protect Eggs
On Monday, June 7th, Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB) staff found a leatherback nest on Klein Bonaire during routine nest monitoring. Leatherback turtles are seen infrequently around Bonaire, and nesting attempts are a rare occurrence.
A leatherback, which may have been this nesting female, was sighted on June 5th, while the turtle was swimming near Klein Bonaire. It was also spotted in front of Habitat and Buddy Dive the following day.
Klein Bonaire is not an optimal beach for leatherback nesting. Upon, investigation STCB staff found that the nest was already flooded. Using best known practices to enhance success, the staff relocated the nest of over 100 eggs to a higher and drier site of the beach. Adult female leatherbacks require sandy nesting beaches backed with vegetation and sloped sufficiently so the crawl to dry sand is not too far. The preferred beaches have proximity to deep water and generally rough seas.
The leatherback is the largest, deepest diving, and most migratory and wide-ranging of all sea turtles. The adult leatherback can reach 4 to 8 feet in length and 500 to 2000 pounds in weight. Its shell plates are covered by firm, rubbery skin with seven longitudinal ridges. Jellyfish are the main staple of its diet, but it is also known to feed on sea urchins, squid, crustaceans, tunicates, fish, blue-green algae, and floating seaweed.
The last time a leatherback nesting activity was recorded on Bonaire was in 2008, when a female leatherback intended to lay her nest at Cai. The crawl was checked but eggs were not found by STCB staff. This kind of opportunistic nesting can happen at the end of the leatherback nesting season, when these animals are returning from their nesting homes to their feeding homes and suddenly they feel the urge to lay one last nest. They look for the nearest beach and try their best to lay a nest. (Source: Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire)
