Turtles in Puerto Escondido

Knowing the typical flora and fauna of a place brings you closer to a more complete experience of the place you want to visit. Understanding what kind of vegetation and what kind of animals can be found in a place where you go on vacation is beneficial and enriching for your trip.

Most likely, if your next destination is Puerto Escondido, or at least you are considering it, you are a nature lover. Since, this small city on the Oaxacan coast is one of the most attractive natural paradises of the Mexican Pacific.

What is it that makes Puerto Escondido so attractive? Among the main points to highlight is the beauty of its natural landscape. Its beaches, the mountains that frame it, the vast vegetation, its characteristic palm trees and the diversity in the colors and types of flowers that adorn it. But, in addition, there is also a wide and varied fauna that lives in this coastal ecosystem and that, if you are lucky, you will be able to spot.

You will find all kinds of birds, crocodiles, dolphins jumping in the sea, fish of all colors, squirrels hanging from the trees and many, many turtles.

Something that characterizes the area of ​​the Oaxaca coast is the number of turtles that come to the beaches every month to lay their eggs. Due to global warming and unwanted visitors, it is necessary to take care of the turtles and their eggs so that the species can be preserved. That is why, along the different beaches of Puerto Escondido, there are turtle camps that take care of the turtle eggs until they are ripe enough to hatch and their little turtles can leave to embark on the journey to the sea.

What kind of turtles can we find?

There are mainly four different types of turtles that have become local and owners of the beaches:

1. Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

The smallest of sea turtles! It is considered an endangered and vulnerable species. It can weigh around 40 kilos and measures a maximum of 70 centimeters. They abound in the Pacific and the largest concentrations are found in Mexico and Venezuela. Its shell can be heart-shaped and its predominant color is olive green.

2. The brown, black, sack, parlama or torita turtle (Chelonia agassizii)

From the same family as the olive ridley turtle, with a slightly larger size, we also find the black turtle on the Oaxacan coast. Its weight can reach up to 126 kilos and its predominant color is a bright green that is given in part by its diet almost entirely based on algae.

3. The hawksbill sea turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)

The typical sea turtles! They are the most common to see and the ones that are usually reflected in drawings or paintings when you want to represent a turtle that lives in the sea. They measure between 60 and 90 centimeters and the largest can weigh up to 127 kilos. Its body is flat and its fins are adapted for swimming in the open sea. They are distinguished from the rest by their pointed head.

4. The leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)

The largest of all sea turtles! Its size can reach a length of more than 2 meters and weigh more than 600 kilos. Pacific Grandmothers. Its appearance is very characteristic: its shell looks like a mosaic and is made up of keels on its back and belly. In the carapace the chest or the edge are not observed, only a curve that gives the animal a semi-cylindrical appearance. This shape, vaguely reminiscent of the musical instrument, is what has given it the name of leatherback sea turtle.

If you visit Puerto Escondido, you can help release baby turtles from any of these sea turtle species. It is truly a rewarding experience! Always remember to inform yourself with the local community and carry out the turtle release tasks responsibly to collaborate with the preservation of the species and not hinder the work of the organizations.

Do you dare to play to identify the different types of sea turtles in the seas of Puerto Escondido?