Loggerhead (cabezona) · Caguama
Caretta caretta
The turtle on the thousand-peso coin
In ColombiaCR · Critically endangered
Meet the turtles
5 of the world's 7 species live in Colombia
Loggerhead, hawksbill, leatherback, green and olive ridley. All of them face some risk of extinction, and all of them need us to keep them alive in the sea. Do you know them?
Green turtle (verde) · Black turtle (negra)
Chelonia mydas
Gardener of the seagrass meadows
In ColombiaEN · Endangered
Olive ridley (golfina)
Lepidochelys olivacea
The little one of the Pazcífico
In ColombiaVU · Vulnerable
Leatherback (caná) · Laúd
Dermochelys coriacea
The giant traveler
In ColombiaCR · Critically endangeredThe other two
There are seven sea turtle species in the world. The two that don't live in Colombia are Kemp's ridley, the lora (Lepidochelys kempii), from the Gulf of Mexico, and the flatback, kikila or aplanada (Natator depressus), from Australia.
What threatens them
Threats we can change
Almost every threat sea turtles face has one thing in common: people cause it. That means we can change it too.
Hawksbill shell trade
Jewelry, combs and souvenirs made from hawksbill shell. To get it, the turtle has to be killed.
Eating meat and eggs
Green turtles are the most hunted for meat, and leatherback eggs are still eaten on the Caribbean coast.
Bycatch
Many turtles die caught in nets and on hooks. It is the leading cause of death for olive ridleys.
Foto: USFWS Pacific / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) Plastic
Turtles get tangled in it or eat it. In Bahía Málaga we found a hawksbill with its shell deformed by plastic.
Climate change
Sand temperature determines the sex of hatchlings. Hotter beaches mean more females and fewer males.
Coastal development and bad tourism
Lights, beachfront construction and mass releases for tourists disrupt nests and turtle behavior.