Page 13 - ARUBA TODAY

A13
LOCAL Thursday 1 June 2017

The Leatherback Turtle Season has Started on Aruba!

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