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| The coast along the Baja California peninsula and the Sea of Cortez is home to five of the seven species of the world's sea turtles. |
Leatherback
(Dermochelys coriacea, Tortuga Laúd) |
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| The leatherback turtle is the largest of all the species of sea turtles and can be found throughout the world's oceans. Population data for these turtles indicate that they are confronting a grave problem of global extinction, caused by the robbing of their nests for eggs and incidental capture in nets. | |
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Hawksbill
(Eretmochelys imbricata, Tortuga Carey) |
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| The populations of Hawksbill have been diminished due to the demand for their shells, which are used in decoration and jewelry. |
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Green Turtle
(Chelonia mydas agassizii, Black Turtle, Tortuga Prieta, Negra, o Verde) |
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| During the 1970's, 25,000 Green Turtles arrived every year to lay their eggs in the beaches of Michoacán, by the 1990's this number had dropped to under 500. The population has been almost destroyed by the indiscriminate killing of these turtles in order to satisfy the high demand for their meat. | |
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Loggerhead
(Caretta caretta, Tortuga Caguama, Amarilla, o Cabezona) |
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| The Loggerhead Turtle travels between Japan and Baja California, more than 12,000 kilometers, to feed and reproduce. This species is also endangered due to both direct and incidental capture in fishing nets and hooks. |
Olive Ridley
(Lepidochelys olivacea, Tortuga Golfina) |
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| The Olive Ridley is the most abundant of all of the species of sea turtle. They use the beaches in the south of the Baja California peninsula and the state of Sinaloa for reproduction, as well as frequent the bays, estuaries and pelagic zones of the region for feeding. | |
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