SELECT REGION

The Hawksbill Turtles of Costa Rica

With the odds stacked against it a newly hatched Hawksbill makes a 'dash' for the relative safety of the sea

Almost exclusively found in tropical regions, the hawksbill grows to three feet in length and up to 150 pounds, deriving its name from the shape of its beak. Humans are best acquainted with its shell, the body part that makes the species most vulnerable. Its legs and head have a striking mosaic pattern and its carapace is multi-hued brown, orange or yellow, long favored by humans in making decorative tortoiseshell items such as hair adornments. Though the species receives protections under various international agreements as well as national laws in the countries the species inhabits, demand for its shell, along with threats to its habitat keep the hawksbill's status critically endangered most everywhere.

Return to Previous Page

The Hawksbill Turtles of Costa Rica

The hawksbill inhabits the coastal waters of Costa Rica where the coral reefs and rocky environments provide their main source of food, sponges. Scuba divers wishing to view the species in its ocean habitat during their Costa Rica tours head to Cocos Island National Park in the seas off the Nicoya Peninsula. The species nests every two to three years, usually three times during the wet season between July and October. Most nesting takes place in August and September. Visitors may have the opportunity to observe hawksbill turtles nesting on both coasts when they travel to Costa Rica. At the northwestern tip of the country, the species nests at Junquillal Bay National Wildlife Refuge in the Santa Elena Gulf and on beaches off the Pacific coast of Santa Rosa National Park. Further east, the species also comes to nest in Marino Bellena National Park from May to November. Two locations where visitors on Costa Rica tours may observe a few hawksbills nesting on the Caribbean coast are Tortuguero National Park, mostly between July and October, and further south in the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge.

In 2006, the World Wildlife Fund began a study to determine the effects of climate change on the species. After researching how temperature changes in air, water and sand may alter nesting and feeding habitat, sex ratios and migration patterns of hawksbills, data will be used to design a broader study, encompassing the other marine turtle species.

Southern Explorations’ eight-day Costa Rica Adventure trip visits Tortuguero National Park. The eight-day itinerary of the self-guided Classic Closta Rica Fly Drive includes Cahuita National Park which is next door to the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge.

SOUTHERN EXPLORATIONS
IS A PROUD
MEMBER / SPONSOR / AWARDEE OF THE FOLLOWING ORGANIZATIONS