The Turtuguero Turtles

Evergreen Lodge
Costa Rica - Tortuguero

The word tortuguero means "turtle catcher" in Spanish. The lives of turtles and people have been intimately intertwined here at least since the arrival of the first indigenous tribal group, relatives of the Mayans, several hundred years ago. These people, and other indigenous groups such as the Zambo-Misquito who arrived later on the scene, utilized turtles in a sustainable manner and all was in balance until the first settlement of Europeans in 1541. The large scale exploitation of the adult turtles and their eggs soon followed, reaching its peak around 1912, when commercial ships loaded to the underside of the decks made regular departures from Limón to carry their cargo to the United States and Europe. One ship, the Vanguard, was recorded to have left Limón with eighteen tons of turtles in its hold. The trade in whole turtles declined with the advent of the practice of taking only the "calipee" ( a cartilaginous substance found under the plastron or lower shell of the turtle that was used to make soup), and then leaving the poor animals to die a slow, miserable death on the beach.

But the calipee and egg trade continued, reaching another peak in the 1950s. (The eggs are still in demand today as bocas, or snacks, eaten in bars, and are erroneously believed to have aphrodisiacal properties.) The situation looked so grim for the survival of the turtles that in 1959 Dr. Archie Carr, a respected herpetologist and conservationist, began the Brotherhood of the Green Turtle and its subsidiary, the Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC), to the problem. They started out primarily as research organizations along with engaging in the protected hatching and release of turtles, but soon found themselves advocating new protective laws and finally the creation of the park. The park was signed into being in 1970, ending a long period of unsustainable exploitation of both the forest and the turtles. Today the CCC, now headed by Dr. Carr's son, is still an important player in the struggle for conservation in the area. You may be able to visit them near the town of Tortuguero if you arrange it with us in advance.

Observing nesting turtles is an unforgettable experience. From August to November the most common of the four species that occur here, the green turtle, come ashore at night. They grow to a length of 1 meter and adults weigh between 75 and 200 kilograms. They are herbivorous, eating turtle grass and algae, and are as efficient at digesting cellulose as cows. Because of this, there has been a lot of interest in trying to domesticate them, but so far to no avail. The hawksbill turtle is much smaller than the green, measuring between 65 and 90 centimeters and weighing between 35 and 75 kilograms. Hawksbills are the source of the "tortoiseshell" ornaments that you can still find for sale on the streets in San José and that are in such great demand in Japan. This species is critically endangered, and it is unfortunate that more do not nest here within the park. While they are supposedly protected in Costa Rica, some are still poached both within the country and farther north, and their shells all too often end up in the hands of tourists.

The loggerhead turtle is a very infrequent nester her, and is easily recognizable by the large size of its head, about twice that of a green turtle in proportion to its body, and its relatively small flippers. The leatherback turtle nests here from mid-February to the end of April. It can attain a length of as much as 2 meters and weigh more than 700 kilograms. Even fewer than 300 leatherbacks nest in the park per year, the nesting sites at Tortuguero are still important for their survival in the region.

If you are interested in seeing the turtles, consider going with at Evergreen Jungle Lodge. To ensure that the turtles are not unduly disturbed ,your guide will follow good turtle-watching etiquette. Flashlights must be kept off until the turtle is located and she has finished the laborious process of excavating her nest and is in the process of actually laying her eggs. Turtles are extremely cautious creatures and straying from this protocol will probably cause the turtle to turn around and go back into the ocean. If visitor ship increases and people behave irresponsibly, the park department and the CCC might restrict access to the turtles nesting within the park.