On Thursday, April 8, 2010, I traveled north to Levera Bay to see the endangered leatherback sea turtles laying eggs on the beach. These turtles lay their eggs in Grenada between mid-April and mid-June each year. They are the only sea turtles who lack a hard shell, hence earning the name Leatherback. The photos aren't very clear, as we were prohibited from using flash photography and were limited to red-tinted flashlights in order not to disturb the turtles. Within five minutes of walking onto the beach, we saw our first turtle.
Most images are from the rear of the turtle in order to not distract her from nesting.
The turtles lay their eggs in a three-step process. First it uses its rear legs to dig a narrow hole, about three-feet deep. Then the turtle lays about 100 eggs, but only the first fifty or so will contain the yolk necessary to develop into baby turtles. The rest of the eggs are for survival and keep the nest warm and humid. Then the turtle uses her rear legs again to cover of the nest.
A research team observes the turtles as they nest and collects data from the tagged turtles.
The research team measures the turtle for their records.
She's a big turtle!
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