The Great Turtle Race
Begins Today
The great turtle race is
on, this year taking off
from Indonesia, swimming
to the west coast of the
United States. The race
takes 15 days to
complete.
This is the second year
of the race, the first
taking place last June
that took off from Costa
RIca for the 950 mile
distance to the
Galapagos Islands.
Participating this year
are 11 turtles who will
swim to raise money for
conservation.
The goal of the race is
to draw attention to
this rare and endangered
species. At one time,
thousands of female
leatherbacks (dermochelys
coriacea) came to Costa
Rica to lay their eggs.
In recent years, fewer
than 100 have returned
during nesting time.
"These amazing animals
have been around 100
million years, but may
have only 10 years
left," said Jim Spotila,
turtle researcher and
president of the
Leatherback Trust. "I
think the world needs to
wake up to the issue and
urgently help.”
Leatherbacks are
extremely large turtles.
Some grow as long as
seven feet and weigh as
much as 2,000 pounds!
Despite their size,
people rarely see them.
This is because male
leatherbacks only live
in the ocean and females
nest in dark areas of
beaches very late at
night.
Leatherback turtles have
rubbery skin that allows
for deep dives—as far as
half a mile down. These
turtles can also hold
their breath for up to
one hour before
surfacing.
For more information on
the turtles and the race
go to:
www.greatturtlerace.org
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