No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsEnvironment and WildlifeThousands of sea turtles arrive on Playa Ostional

Thousands of sea turtles arrive on Playa Ostional

Hundreds of thousands of Olive Ridley sea turtles have begun their annual descent on Playa Ostional on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast. Officials from the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) confirmed that the nesting season officially kicked off Sunday with the season’s first mass nesting event, known locally as an arribada.

From mid-June through December, arribadas occur in the days preceding each full moon, when more than 100,000 turtles arrive to lay their eggs on the beach. Because of the enormous quantities of eggs on the beach, Ostional is the only beach in Costa Rica where it is legal to harvest turtle eggs for consumption. Locals dig up and collect approximately 1 percent of the total eggs laid on the beach.

Here are photos from an arribada in 2012:

 

 

Popular Articles

Poás Volcano National Park Reopens with Enhanced Safety Protocols

Poás Volcano National Park has officially reopened to visitors, the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) announced. The reopening comes with updated safety measures...

Video Reveals the Hidden Reality of Deportees in Costa Rica

Costa Rica’s agreement with the U.S. to receive deported migrants has drawn criticism from human rights advocates. While the government assures that human rights...

US Funding Freeze Forces Mass Layoffs at UN Migration Agency

Hit hard by US aid funding cuts, the UN migration agency is battling claims from current and former staff of now pandering to Washington...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait

Latest Articles