The Great Turtle Race 2007

Four turtles are done!

2007-04-27T18:53:00.000-04:00

Four turtles have already finished. First place, Billie sponsored by Offield Center for Billfish Studies, second was Stephanie, sponsored by Stephen Colbert, third place Champiro sponsored by Giti tires and fourth turtlelocity by travelocity. At the other end of the race two turtles remain. The last turtle will probably be Sundae followed very closely by the Super-champion in reproduction: DREXELINA. When we were at Playa Grande we wished so much to have turtle on the beach that two of them stayed to guarantee hatchling production for future generations and our happiness. Gracias amigas por ser tan consideradas. Gracias Jack por leernos everyday.

We love Drexelina

2007-04-25T14:26:00.000-04:00

We almost have a winner! Billie is 30 miles from Galapagos and she is
20 miles ahead of Stephanie. Saphira is holding strong in 3rd place as
she races for the kids of the Bullis school! There are 6 turtles very
close to each other, going straight to the Islands, but…Who is going to
win 4th place?
Meanwhile, Drexelina and Sundae are still around Playa Grande. Yes…they
are protecting the beach!
Drexelina and Sundae are still nesting! They nested at least one more
time since the race started. We like these turtles the best, because
they are very concerned about the leatherback population in the
Pacific. They are not just protecting the beach from developers; they
are also producing more hatchlings to make sure that there are enough
turtles for future generations. So instead of going for food as soon as
they can, they stay and do a great job. For this reason WE LOVE YOU
Drexelina!

"Beach Development"

2007-04-24T15:16:00.000-04:00

Most turtles are getting closer to the Galapagos (the same two are
still hanging out on the beach). Stephanie was racing first for the
whole day yesterday. Billie has just passed her in the last few
hours. There are only 60 miles left but anything could still happen.
There are six turtles following the same exact route to get to the
finish zone. We think that they are taking advantage of some
currents on the final sprint. Our two favorite turtles are still on the
beach. Sundae seems to have raced back to the beach and then,
stayed...she probably found Drexelina, who is again the last one on
the race. They are probably concerned about the development on
this beautiful beach. So are we. For 100 million years
leatherbacks have nested on pristine beaches within the tropics.
Just recently, their beaches have started to attract people as a
tourist destination. Consequently, developers have started to sell
their habitat even within protected zones, such as Las Baulas
National Park. We want to help Drexelina and Sundae to protect the
beaches that belong to them. We must protect their beaches. If you
want to help them, join us too, check out this web page:

www.seaturtles.org/actionalertdetails.cfm?actionAlertID=126

You can sign up for an email to the President of Costa Rica.
Drexelina and Sundae thank you for your support.

“Still nesting?”

2007-04-23T15:12:00.000-04:00

It seems that the race is coming to an end. Stephanie and Billie are sixty miles ahead of the next two turtles, Windy and Saphira, who are fiercely competing for third place. We think that Sundae and Drexelina have followed typical internesting behavior. Normally, the leatherback turtles that nest at Las Baulas move North during the internesting period and stay around the Gulf of Papagayo until it is time to come back to nest. The internesting period usually takes 7-12 days. The race started 8 days ago and
Sundae is moving fast and appears to be starting her migration to the Galapagos or moving back to the beach to lay eggs again. Drexelina’s behavior has not changed, which make us think that she is still nesting. If this is true, she is a champion in reproduction!

Drexelina advanced one mile!!!!!

2007-04-22T15:42:00.000-04:00

Stephanie is determined to win the race, she is facing the right direction and she is speeding up. Stephen Colbert’s turtle reached the first place two days ago and she is not giving up now! It seems that nothing can keep her from arriving at the Enchanted Islands in the first place.
Both, Billie and Saphira are also going straight to Galapagos (second and third place). Sundae and our Drexelina are discounting miles now. Could it be true? Could they really be starting to swim to the Galapagos Islands? Are they ready to start the migration?
The official Great turtle race web page claims that they are guarding the beaches. Is that true? Why are they so attracted to Playa Grande?
While the other turtles are swimming very fast, Drexelina advanced one mile! We are very proud of you! Well done Drexlelina! But speed up!!!! Stephanie is almost there!!!!!!!!
The next couple of days will be critical to determine who will win the race…

“The race is on fire!”

2007-04-20T17:11:00.000-04:00

Billie has been the leader of the race since yesterday when she passed Windy. Windy was leader for two days until she got pushed to the East by a current, that later seems to have caught some of the other turtles (maybe she didn’t really have a motor attached to her shell as suggested by Stephanie’s adoptive dad). Stephanie Colburtle is back to the second position. The race is on fire!! There are five turtles within 12 miles of each other. The most impressive progression has been that of Saphira (the kids at the Bullis School must be cheering enthusiastically!). She moved up 5 positions in one day! Now, back to the tail of the race, Drexelina, our turtle, is swimming around in circles. Sundae seems to be closer to Lake Nicaragua everyday. It is a mystery to us when they will decide to join the race. Vamos Drexelina, you still can do it!

Thanks Sundae

2007-04-19T12:25:00.000-04:00

Drexelina is now in the 10th position, she has advanced one place in the general classification. Thanks, Sundae, for going farther. However, it appears that Drexelina hasn't moved since yesterday. She is as far today from the arrival as she was yesterday. Maybe some of the other turtles tied Drexelina to a rock near the beach. The nesting season is over, but maybe she didn't get the message. She invested too much in reproduction and that, could have affected her migrating capabilities…

“Three days not on the road”

2007-04-18T11:49:00.000-04:00

Drexelina is still hanging out near the beach. Today, she moved one mile further but just recently she changed her direction, which is a good sign. We still don’t know why she is not taking off. Maybe, she has heard of evil humongous sharks, plastic bags dressed as jellyfish and invisible longlines hiding around. We just learnt checking her records that she is missing a little part of her back left flipper. Maybe, this is affecting her rearing ability. Or Maybe Drexelina is following Sundae because this is a more matured and “supposedly” more experienced turtle. Sundae has nested for the fourth season this year and Drexelina is only a second time nester. We are confident that now that Drexelina is facing the right direction, she will soon start swimming.

Three miles further...

2007-04-17T15:58:00.000-04:00

Why is Drexelina three miles further from the Galapagos Islands than she was yesterday? We have no clue. We are sure she is not climbing a volcano, so she might have moved further North around the waters of the Nicoya Peninsula. She doesn’t want to leave yet. At least she is not by herself. There is another turtle, Sundae, who is almost as far behind as Drexelina. Sundae is one mile further than she was yesterday. Our theory today is that they feel protected inside the Park and are scared to leave. However, we think is time to start migrating because there is not enough jellyfish for two turtles there.

Drexelina: if you are worried about your hatchlings, don’t worry, they have probably passed the Galapagos a long time ago. So PLEASE, leave the beach and speed up, you can still win the race!

Drexelina likes Playa Grande

2007-04-17T13:57:00.000-04:00

How to explain what Playa Grande means? It's the most beautiful place on earth: 3.6 km of sandy beaches and mangroves. Nights are perfect with incredible clear skies. We think that so much beauty must have captivated Drexelina. That’s why she doesn’t wanna leave. Playa Grande is sooo beautiful and the people working there are sooo good, that she decided to stay around a little longer. But don’t get anxious, she’ll take off at some point (as soon as she realizes that she is facing the wrong direction: the continent!).

"Superpowerful Turtle"

2007-04-17T13:50:00.000-04:00

Drexelina the "superpowerful" turtle laid 12 nest on the beach (7 is normally the average!) and had an average hatching success of 65% (average this season was 39%). She came for the last time at midnight on the night of the 14th of February and she became famous! We have calculated that she produced a total of 400 hatchlings in the season!!! Third place in hatchling production out of 22 turtles! SHE IS A NATURAL CHAMPION! We, the people that worked with the turtles first hand have the bets on her! VAMOS DREXELINA!!!!

Drexelina is warming up for the biggest race in tu...

2007-04-17T13:51:00.000-04:00

Drexelina is warming up for the biggest race in turtle history. Let's just hope that she races in the same way as she reproduces.Will she be too weak after investing so much energy in reproduction? "400 HATCHLINGS!!!!!" or will she be capable of migrating fast to find a good feeding?Is a champion in reproduction a champion in the Ocean? She is also a relatively young turtle. This is only her second season. She came for the first time in 2003-2004 and she is doing great!

Get ready for the big race!

2007-03-22T15:54:00.000-04:00

Get ready to meet Drexeliňa, Drexel University's own leatherback turtle and follow her as she races against 10 other leatherback turtles from the sandy beaches of Costa Rica to the remote islands of the Galapagos! Each day, our team will check in and update you on her condition, location and any problems she or the others may encounter. It's the Great Turtle Race 2007!