cyprus turtles
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Two species of turtles nest in Cyprus, the
Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the
Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta). Both
species are threatened by extinction in the
Mediterranean. In this sea the Green Turtle
nowadays nests almost exclusively in Cyprus
and Turkey. Loggerheads nest also in Greece
and in small numbers in several other
countries in the eastern Mediterranean. It
is estimated that the current
nesting population in the Mediter-
ranean is about 500-600 female
Green turtles and 5,000-6,000 Log-
gerhead turtles. In the past they
were found in much larger numbers.
Between 1900 and 1960 about
100.000 of turtles, mainly Green
turtles, were exported to Europe
from the east Mediterranean for
turtle soup.
In Cyprus Green turtles now nest on the surf-swept west coast beaches of
Lara/Toxeftra and on some beaches on the north coast and the Karpas.
Loggerheads also nest in the Lara/Toxeftra area but their main nesting
beaches are in the Polis/Limni area in Chrysochou Bay.
About Turtles: Turtles are reptiles. They evolved on land and went back
to the sea. That is why they breathe air and come up on land to lay their eggs.
They live for more than 60 years.
Loggerhead turtles feed on jellyfish
and on a variety of bottom living
animals. Green turtles are herbivorous
and feed on sea-grasses. Turtles have
no ears but are sensitive to certain
sound frequencies. They have good
eyesight.
Reproduction: Green turtles
mature when they are 25-30 years old
and Loggerheads when they are about
15-20 years old. They lay their eggs every 2-5 years. Mating takes place at
sea. Loggerheads start nesting at the end of May and usually finish by mid
August. Green turtles start and finish about two weeks later. In the season
a turtle may lay 3-5 clutches of round, leathery eggs. Loggerheads lay about
80 eggs in each clutch and Greens about 120. The Loggerheads lay their eggs
in chambers about 30-50 cm deep and the Green turtles about 50-80 cm deep.
Nesting takes place at night. The eggs incubate with the heat of the sun and
hatch about 7 weeks later. Sex determination depends on temperature. High
temperatures produce females and low temperatures produce males. At about
29-300C about half of the hatchlings produced are male and the other half
female. So eggs laid early in the season tend to produce more males and late
nests more females. Turtles imprint on their natal beaches, which means that
when they mature they will return to nest on the beaches they themselves
hatched on.
Turtles and lights: Turtle
hatchlings are attracted to light.
Their instinct tells them that the
lightest part on the horizon is the
way to the sea. If there are
artificial lights near the beach the
hatchlings will be disorientated
and will go towards these lights
instead of going to the sea. If they
do not reach the sea quickly they
will fall prey to foxes or if they
stay on land during the day they will die of heat. Nesting females are also
very wary of lights and movement on the beaches when they come up to lay
their eggs. If disturbed they will go back to the sea. If disturbed on
consecutive nights they will drop their eggs in the sea. This is why the public
are not allowed on the beaches at night
Predation and other dangers: In Cyprus the main predator is the
fox. On some beaches, more than 80% of the eggs or hatchlings are eaten by
foxes if they are not protected. Some nests may also be covered by the sea
and perish as they are laid too near the water. Driving on the beaches can
destroy nests while deep tyre marks prevent hatchlings from reaching the
sea.
Conservation: The Cyprus Turtle Conservation Project was set up by theDepartment of Fisheries and Marine Research in 1978, following surveys in1976 and 1977. It is the first such project in the Mediterranean. The project
Green Turtle
Green Turtle laying
Toxeftra beach showing nesting activity
Green hutchling (white belly) and loggerhead (all black)
Measuring a Green Turtle
Tagging a Green Turtle
Training course at Lara
IInn tthhee LLaarraa//TTooxxeeffttrraa PPrrootteecctteedd AArreeaa
iitt iiss pprroohhiibbiitteedd ttoo::
➦➦ SSttaayy oonn tthhee bbeeaacchheess oorr tthhee ccooaassttaall
aarreeaa aatt nniigghhtt
➦➦ DDrriivvee aannyy vveehhiiccllee oonn aa bbeeaacchh oorr
ttoolleerraattee ssuucchh aaccttiioonn
➦➦ PPllaaccee aann uummbbrreellllaa,, ccaarraavvaann,, tteenntt
eettcc..,, iinn tthhee PPrrootteecctteedd AArreeaa
➦➦ FFiisshh,, eexxcceepptt wwiitthh aa rroodd aanndd lliinnee
➦➦ UUssee oorr aanncchhoorr aa bbooaatt oorr ttoolleerraattee
ssuucchh aaccttiioonn
IItt iiss aallssoo pprroohhiibbiitteedd ttoo::
➦➦ LLeeaavvee yyoouurr rruubbbbiisshh oonn tthhee bbeeaacchheess
oorr aannyywwhheerree eellssee iinn tthhee aarreeaa
➦➦ LLiigghhtt ffiirreess oonn tthhee bbeeaacchheess oorr
aannyywwhheerree eellssee iinn tthhee aarreeaa
➦➦ CCoolllleecctt aannyy gghhoosstt ccrraabbss ffrroomm tthheessee
bbeeaacchheess.. TThheeyy aarree pprrootteecctteedd
eevveerryywwhheerree iinn CCyypprruuss..
PPlleeaassee::
● SSttiicckk ttoo tthhee eexxiissttiinngg ppaatthhss aanndd ddoo nnoott ddiissttuurrbbtthhee ssaanndd--dduunnee vveeggeettaattiioonn
● TTaakkee yyoouurr rruubbbbiisshh wwiitthh yyoouu
Note: The information contained in this leaflet may be
reproduced after the authors’ (Andreas Demetropoulos and
Myroula Hadjichristophorou) permission. For further
information please telephone the above authors:
Tel. 22350316 or 22303901 or
E-mail [email protected] or [email protected]
© All photos Andreas Demetropoulos
aims at:
● Protecting and managing theimportant nesting beaches
● Protecting eggs and hatch-lings from predation - andfrom human activities
● Protecting adult turtles
● Monitoring the turtle popu-lation and nesting activity inCyprus
● Raising public awareness inturtle conservation
In the Lara-Toxeftra Reserve and on other beaches, such as the Polis/Limnibeaches, that are not busy tourist beaches, eggs are protected where theyare laid by placing aluminium cages over the nests. These allow hatchlings toescape to the sea as soon as they emerge from the sand, and stop foxes fromgetting at the nests. Nests are moved to the hatchery at Lara from sometourist beaches only (mainly Coral Bay). The hatchery is a patch of fencedoff beach where the eggs are re-buried. Nests too near the sea are relocatedhigher up on the same beach. Over 8,000 Green and Loggerhead hatchlings arereleased each year from the Lara/Toxeftra Reserve and at least another12,000 from protected Loggerhead nests on the beaches in thePolis/Limni/Yialia area. This is a much larger number than what would normallyreach the sea without protection. Nesting females are tagged and theirnumbers and nesting activity are monitored.
Training courses in Turtle Conservation Techniques have been heldevery year since 1989 for Mediterranean scientists and Protected Areamanagers. Trainees are sponsored by UNEP(MAP). The courses are carried outby the Cyprus Wildlife Society (CWS) in cooperation with the Department ofFisheries and Marine Research. CWS also helps with the project.
The Law: Turtles and their eggs have been protected under the FisheriesLegislation since 1971. Nesting habitat protection was provided in 1989
with management regulationspassed under the same legislationand covering the Lara/Toxeftraarea. This includes the main GreenTurtle nesting beaches. In 2003the Polis/Limni beaches weredeclared a Coastal Zone forEcological Protection under theTown and Country Planning Law.Turtles are also protected byseveral International Conventionswhich Cyprus has ratified.
P.I.O. 133/2005-2.000 Published by the Press and Information Office, Republic of Cyprus
Printed: J.G.Cassoulides & Son Ltd
Green hatchlings emerging from the sand