Page 14 - ARUBA TODAY

A14 LOCAL
Monday 19 June 2017
The Leatherback Turtle Season has Started on Aruba!

EAGLE BEACH - Two weeks one nest, but repeat the
ago the first Leatherback egg laying every 8-12 days
nest of this year was found with an average of seven
on the beach in front of nests per season. The eggs
Amsterdam Manor and as need 60 – 70 days of incu-
we can see on the Driekiel- bation, so it will take about
O-Meter sign there are two months to see the little
two nests now. The Leath- hatchings leaving the nest.
erback Sea Turtle is locally Last year a total of 20 nests
called Driekiel, hence the were counted on Eagle
name Driekiel-O-Meter for Beach, laid by just two dif-
the big sign placed along ferent females. Those two
the Boulevard at Eagle did a splendid job, above
Beach, in front of Paradise the average. But in general
Beach Villa’s. You can find 2016 was not a very abun-
a lot of information on this dant Leatherback nesting
sign. year, not here on Aruba
The Leatherback Sea Turtle and neither in the rest of
(Dermochelyscoriacea) the Caribbean region. Let’s
is the largest of the seven see what 2017 will bring us!
species of sea turtles living Leatherbacks can be
in the world’s oceans to- found not only at Eagle
day. Beach/Low Rise area, but
Aruba is proud to welcome also at other sandy beach-
these magnificent animals es like Arashi, Andicuri,
every year. They are the Boca Grandi.
oldest “repeat guests” of If you find tracks/activity of
the island. a sea turtle on the beach,
The Leatherback Sea Turtle please call the Turtle Ho-
does not live in the Carib- tline as soon as possible.
bean Sea, but in the North- Thanks!
ern part of the Atlantic More info:
Ocean. Every 2-4 years the turtugaruba@hotmail.
adult female will return to comwww.facebook.com/
lay her eggs on the beach Turtugaruba
where she herself was Turtle Hotline (297) 592-
born. She does not lay just 9393.q