Invasion at Playa Ostional:
Source: Telenoticias

Playa Ostional, Guanacaste, is one of the largest leatherback turtle nesting areas in the world.  Experts have indicated this to be the case, taking into account the dimensions of the beach. 

The animals are continually arriving at this beach, although, scientists still do not know the reason as to why they specifically come to this beach at the end of October and the beginning of November.

The turtles take about an hour to dig a hole in the sand with their back legs, where they will then lay their eggs, cover the hole over and make a very distinctive movement: they  will then jump on top of the covered hole several times in order to flatten it.  According to scientists, the leatherback turtle does this to make sure that no animal or human could know that there is a nest there. After, the turtle begins its journey back to the Ocean.

Approximately 45 days later, the newborns appear, tiny turtles, these 20 years later, will return to Playa Ostional, to do the same with their own eggs.

The mass arrival of turtles started on Sunday night, and it is expected to last a couple more days, during other months turtles do arrive but not in such large groups. 

Ostional village has authorization from the government to take eggs from the nests, but only during the first 36 hours of the turtle’s arrival, once this time has past they can no longer touch the nests, because they are protected for species conservation.   

Ostional village is the only place where turtle eggs are allowed to be removed from the nest. .