Of the seven species of sea turtles that currently exist, six visit our waters, although only four are the ones we usually see.
We rescue many of them on the high seas and take them to the south of the island where there is a hospital for turtles where they are recovered and released back into the sea.
Green turtle (Chelonia mydas): It is herbivorous and its shell is oval-shaped. It can be distinguished from the hawksbill because the green turtle has a shorter snout and its beak is not hook-shaped. They usually measure about 130 centimetres and weigh about 250 kilos.
Loggerhead turtle (caretta caretta): It is the most abundant turtle that we see and the most studied. In Fuerteventura, a programme is being developed to reintroduce the loggerhead turtle as a nesting species.
Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata): It is seen less often but its shell is very pretty and it has a very long neck, it usually measures about 90 cm and weighs about 100 kilos.
Leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea): We have seen them a few times, but we can be lucky and see the largest turtle in the world, years ago one arrived on the southern coast to lay its eggs, they usually measure about 2 meters and weigh an impressive 900 kilos.
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