Turtles

Turtles are reptiles that have been around for over 200 million years.

Of the 7 species of turtle found around the world, 2 are quite common in Tenerife waters: the green turtle and the loggerhead turtle. Sadly there are no signs that they breed in the Canary Islands so those that we see must be migrating to other shores for breeding.

We most regularly encounter turtles at the site called El Puertito (see the section on Sea urchins for more information on this), but they can be seen at other sites on random occasions. At El Puertito they are used to seeing divers and exhibit very friendly behaviour, sometimes acting as though they think they are part of your group, for example if we kneel in a circle to observe them, they might take their place in the circle.

A number of times we have found a turtle struggling at the surface after being caught up in fishing line or other rubbish when, of course, we are only too pleased to intervene to save them. But otherwise it is important not to touch and certainly not to hang on to them as this could prevent them from surfacing to breath. Also the beak, which is made of horn, can deliver a nasty nip!

Green Turtles

Although once common, green turtles are now an endangered species due to extensive hunting in the past which reached a peak with the popularity of turtle soup early in the 20th century. Happily, conservation efforts have resulted in a good recovery and there are some large populations in Costa Rica, Ascension Island, West Africa, Malaysia and Australia.

Young green turtles eat small marine creatures such as shrimp and jellyfish plus floating insects, sea grass and algae. As they mature they shift to a largely herbivore diet of just sea grass and algae, though some populations continue to feed on marine animals too. They are the second largest of the 7 species of turtles (after the leatherback) growing up to 1.5m in length and weighing in at up to 200kg.

Loggerhead Turtles

The name of this turtle is a result of its large head which in turn is due to its strong jaw muscles and large beak needed to crush crustaceans, its preferred diet. Unfortunately for the loggerhead it also enjoys jellyfish which is what plastic bags floating in the sea also look like.

Ingested plastic can be fatal, so we should all try to be careful to avoid littering the sea. Like the green turtle, the loggerhead is also endangered, threatened by tourism development at its nesting beaches and by bycatch in fishing, especially shrimp trawls and long lines set for tuna and swordfish.