Sea Turtles | Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program

A nesting leatherback sea turtle at Playa Moaba, Bioko Island, 2008. (Joel Sartore)

A nest of baby leatherback sea turtles hatches along the beach. BBPP turtle researchers Shaya Honarvar and Dan Fitzgerald observe. (Joel Sartore)

A baby leatherback sea turtle makes the dangerous journey from the nest where it hatched to the sea, Playa Moaba, Bioko Island, 2008. (Joel Sartore)

Studio portrait of a half-day-old hatchling leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Leatherback turtles nest in great numbers on the south end of Bioko Island. (Joel Sartore)

Studio portrait of a half-day-old hatchling leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Leatherback turtles nest in great numbers on the south end of Bioko Island. (Joel Sartore)

Four species of marine turtles come ashore to lay their eggs on Bioko Island's southern beaches from November to February:

Atlantic Green (Chelonias mydas)
Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea)
Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata)
Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea)

The 2,000-pound leatherback is the most common followed by the green turtle, the olive Ridley and the hawksbill. Check out the Bioko Sea Turtle Project to learn more about BBPP's work with sea turtles.