Parismina

One of the most famous tourist destinations in Costa Rica is Tortuguero, a National Park on the Atlantic coast that was named for the large amounts of Green Sea Turtles that come there to nest at the same time (Turtuga=Turtle). However, this time of year they are not nesting, so we went to a nearby town called Parismina in hopes of seeing Leatherback Sea Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea), since they nest there in low amounts year round.

We arrived the first night and had a lecture about the different types of sea turtles. We headed out at 8 pm to walk the beach and look for turtles. We went with people from a local organization that works to protect the turtles. For years they have been killed by people for their meat, and people have robbed their nests for the eggs. This organization both protects the turtles as they are laying their eggs and moves some of the nests to protected sites to keep people from taking the eggs. Luckily, the local people understand that these animals need to be conserved, so the problems have decreased a lot. We walked around for 4 hours and saw nothing :( I was pretty bummed when we left, because that was my one chance to see them and I didn't know if I would ever have another opportunity.

The next day, we went into Tortuguero National Park. We only went on a short hike, but we saw 2 types of vine snakes(Oxybelis aeneus; Leptophis ahuatella), a couple Norops, a Casque-Headed Lizard (Corytophanes cristatus), and a Wet Forest Toad (Bufo melanochlorus). We also saw some big crocodiles in the river! Later on that night, I also saw a little mud turtle (Kinosternon leucostomum) near our hotel.

During the afternoon I found out that we were going to go out and look for Leatherbacks again that night :) I was so excited for the second chance to see them! We went from 12 to 4 this time, so we all took naps after dinner until 12. We headed over to a different beach and started to look. As soon as we got there, we found a turtle heading back into the water after nesting! It was SO AWESOME! I was so stoked to actually see one :) We kept looking for a while longer and found another one! It was in the process of laying eggs, so we got to watch it for a while. 

All of my life I have wanted to see a Leatherback, but never thought I would. They are the largest of all sea turtles, growing up to a shell length over 7 feet long and weighing over 2000 pounds! They are the deepest diving reptile, and rival the Sperm Whale for deepest diving vertebrate. They have been recorded at depths greater than 1200 meters, which is 3900 feet! They are also unique in the fact that they are able to maintain a constant body temperature, even in very cold water; very few other reptiles are able to do that. They can be found in all of the world's oceans and they nest all around the world. They swim incredible distances during their lifetime. Unfortunately, they are currently listed as critically endangered. Their population in the Pacific is especially weak, and it is likely that it will not survive without a major intervention. 

I can't even describe what it was like getting to experience that moment with the Leatherback...It makes me sad to think that these incredible animals may not be around for others to appreciate in the future. This is why I am going to be a herpetologist/conservation biologist in the future, because I want someone else to have the opportunity to be inspired by the incredible beauty and complexity and subtleties of an animal like this.