Tag: turtle

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Aging Slider or Mud Turtle

There is a little channel of water on two sides of the outdoor restaurant in Hotel Banana Azul with lots of Mesoamerican Sliders swimming and some fish. This one attracted my attention as he rested on these floating plants and though most likely a Slider, because he doesn’t show the usual yellow stripes on his neck, I gave the option of Mud Turtle in the title. 🙂

Most likely an aging Mesoamerican Slider, though possibly a Mud Turtle at Banana Azul.
Most likely an aging Mesoamerican Slider, though possibly a Mud Turtle at Banana Azul.

¡Pura Vida!

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¡Pura Vida!

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Mesoamerican Slider

They have been calling this turtle “Red-eared Slider” but it is actually a little different from the North American Red-eared Slider, so now they call it Mesoamerican Slider (Wikipedia) or the sub-species for Costa Rica & Nicaragua of Trachemys venusta uhrigi for you scientists. 🙂 I’m just sharing one photo of it from the lagoon or lake at Maquenque Ecolodge:

Mesoamerican Slider Turtle, Maquenque Ecolodge, Costa Rica

¡Pura Vida!

See more in my Mesoamerican Slider Gallery.

And/or see the Maquenque 2022 Trip Gallery!

Maquenque 2020 Trip Gallery!

Maquenque 2019 Trip Gallery!

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Red-eared Slider

In the little man-made stream that runs by two sides of the Banana Azul Restaurant there are several of these common water turtles in Costa Rica. Their name always frustrates me because their “ears” are not noticeably red! Oh well, naming animals was not assigned to me! 🙂

Red-eared Slider
Red-eared Slider

¡Pura Vida!

My Red-eared Slider GALLERY.

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I Release Baby Turtles this Morning

At the Right Place at the Right Time
As I headed for the birding trail before breakfast this morning, the turtle man told me
that 12 new Olive Ridley turtle eggs hatched last night and he was ready to release them.
New Morning Plans! I got to pick up all 12 from their nest and put in box for taking to beach.
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

12 Babies Ready for the Beach! 
Tambor, Costa Rica
One by one we take them from the box and sit each one on the beach.
Instinctively the head for the water, some in a big rush!
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

What a privilege to participate in helping save an endangered species! 
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

Once on water’s edge the next wave carries them out to sea. They swim for a full day before stopping to eat.
Because of predators (birds & fish) only one in a thousand make it to adulthood.
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

 Once eggs are laid on the beach, volunteers bring to this sheltered fenced area to protect eggs from predators.
Behind a chain-link fence each clutch of 30-80 eggs is netted, dated and watched by volunteers.
Eggs take about 45 days to hatch, thus they know when most will hatch. Most already have.
They are expecting 100+ hatchlings on Christmas Day.
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

A small building was constructed by local volunteers who watch the eggs around the clock.
Tambor, Costa Rica

 

 Tambor, Costa Rica

 

A Mouse Pad here + T-shirts are sold to raise money.
Tambor, Costa Rica
There are government regulations on turtles, but no money to help.
This volunteer group meets both national & international standards.
Tambor, Costa Rica

They are a new program and do not have a website yet, but will eventually have something similar to nearby MontezumaBeach.com to promote support and volunteerism and they are wanting to affiliate with a university somewhere for research as well as volunteers. They do have a Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Tortugas-Bah%C3%ADa-Tambor-120575518588150/  Though my effort to post photos did not work well with one put as a “Visitor Post” in the right hand column.

They plan to also post more information about the program on the hotel website:  Tambor Tropical Resort. 

And I will eventually have these photos posted on my trip gallery for this particular trip:   2017 Christmas Week Tambor Bay.  And maybe in my other animals gallery eventually!  🙂