Costa Rica
Sand Origin
Golfo Dulce, Península Osa
Random Sand Fact
In Costa Rica, researchers track how sand temperature determines whether the world’s largest turtle has daughters or sons.
Leatherback turtles bury their eggs in the sand, and from then on, the sand decides. If it’s cool, the hatchlings become males. If it’s warm, they become females. That’s how it works for sea turtles worldwide.
On a Pacific beach, researchers followed the nests for nine years. Around 85 percent of the hatchlings were female. But if the sand gets too hot, the eggs die before they can hatch.
Therefore, the researchers recommend moving eggs to cooler sand in an emergency.
