Turtle Tours
The Wetland Park coastline stretching over two hundred kilometres, is an important breeding ground for the leatherback, loggerhead and green turtles.Under the cover of darkness, female turtles lay two batches of eggs, with a ten day interval in-between each batch.
They make their way cumbersomely up the beach to above the high tide mark and digs a nest about one meter deep. It takes around two hours to make her nest and she lays up to ??? ping pong ball sized eggs.
They make their way cumbersomely up the beach to above the high tide mark and digs a nest about one meter deep. It takes around two hours to make her nest and she lays up to ??? ping pong ball sized eggs.
After laying the eggs, she covers them with sand to protect them from predators such as ghost crabs and kites and makes her way back to the ocean.
The eggs have a seventy day gestation period and the hatchlings emerge at night to make there way to the sea for the fist time. This usually takes place between the beginning of January and the end of February. Unfortunately, the mortality rate is high and only about five hatchlings in every thousand will make it to maturity.
Amazingly, female turtles can find their way back to the same beach that they hatched from to continue this circle of life.
Turtle tours are highly specialized and should be done only with registered guides who are properly trained in how to approach these animals so as to not disturb them.
Amazingly, female turtles can find their way back to the same beach that they hatched from to continue this circle of life.
Turtle tours are highly specialized and should be done only with registered guides who are properly trained in how to approach these animals so as to not disturb them.