Mug Shot — «Cozumel - Sea Turtle»

City: Cozumel Country: Mexico Edition: 2008 Icon Edition Belongs to: 432 users (28 trading, 211 seeking)

Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close to the Yucatan Channel. Cozumel is one of the ten municipalities of the state of Quintana Roo. Cozumel is a tourist destination for its balnearios, scuba diving, and snorkeling. The main town on the island is San Miguel de Cozumel. The island is about 48 km long and 16 km wide, and is Mexico's largest Caribbean island. It is Mexico's third-largest island, following Tiburón Island and Isla Ángel de la Guarda. It lies some 10 km from the mainland, and 90 km south of Cancún. The vast majority of the population of Cozumel lives in the town of San Miguel, which is on the island's western shore. The municipality, which includes two small areas on the mainland enclaved within the Municipality of Solidaridad. The land area is covered with an impenetrable jungle which has many endemic animal species.

Sea turtle or marine turtle is marine reptile that inhabit all of the world's oceans except the Arctic. Cozumel is fortunate to play host to thousands of sea turtles coming ashore to nest each year. During the nights of April through September, on the Eastern shore of the island, two species of sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs on the beaches of Cozumel. The turtles, known as the loggerhead turtle and the green turtle, generally lay from 100-150 eggs and can nest up to 6 times in one season. Roughly 60 days later, the young hatchlings emerge at the surface of the nest, typically at night when the temperatures are cooler, and immediately head for the ocean following the light reflected off of the water's surface. In addition, the bays and reefs of the Cozumel area are also foraging areas where sea turtles such as hawksbill turtles and giant leatherback turtles have been sighted swimming just offshore.

photo by mobydick74
edited by mobydick74

  Mexico, Cozumel

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