The Ministry of Environment and Territorial Planning of the Junta de Andalucia have released 12 loggerhead turtles on the beach of San Juan de los Terreros, Pulpí. These specimens come from a nest located a year ago with 80 eggs in a small cove very exposed to storms in the south end of the beach so it was decided to remove them from the nest.
These are the first turtles to be released of the 30 that were born after having reached the ideal size. The remaining individuals will be released on several occasions when the best conditions for them are met.
Some of these turtles have been equipped with satellite transmitters to show their movements in a study that will be conducted by the Biological Station of Doñana, belonging to the Superior Council for Scientific Research (CSIC).
After hatching, the 30 turtles were distributed between the Centre for Management of the Marine Environment Andaluz Strait in Algeciras, under the Board and the Aquarium of Sevilla to reach the size that allows them to increase the chances of survival in their natural environment and to allow their shell to harden to protect them against large number of existing predators.
The loggerhead turtle is an endangered species that lives in warm seas and oceans and can exceed one meter in length. They are omnivorous and feed mainly on seaweed, bivalves, crustaceans and jellyfish. Throughout their lives they make great migrations coming only to the beaches of birth for spawning usually in the months of June and July.
Source: http://almeria360.com/
