Belize Blog – Belizeadventure.com

Do you know which species is the largest fish? Why whale sharks, of course.

You’ll find out many amazing facts like that in a fascinating feature on the Mesoamerican Reef that ran in National Geographic Magazine in October. The article features some awe inspiring images like this one, shot by photographer Brian Skerry, off the coast of the Yucatan, just north of Belize.

Big Fish, Little Fish: Trapped under ice, lost at sea, chased by sharks, photographer Brian Skerry has had more than a few scares in 35 years of catching images of underwater wildlife. Despite appearances to the contrary, this close encounter with a whale shark was quite the opposite. Snorkeling off Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, amid some 400 of the world’s biggest fish, Skerry spotted a massive maw coming at him with a remora darting around inside the giant filter feeder. “It’s not something the shark would eat,” notes Skerry of the suckerfish. Neither is he. Nonetheless, he quickly moved out of the way.

Photograph by Brian Skerry

Central America’s Mesoamerican Reef is half the length of its famous Australian counterpart but in many ways more remarkable. If you like coral reefs you’ll love this article.

The print edition of the article carried this wonderful map of the region (not available in the online version.) It highlights the coral reefs, mangrove forests and sea grass beds within the region. Check out where Adventure Island is!

So far this season we’ve seen evidence of at least 3 very exciting Hawksbill turtle hatch-outs on Long Caye. Guests have woken to disorientated baby turtles under their waterfront cabanas and a search has ensued to make sure no more needed help getting to the water.

Emerging from the sandy nests Hawkbills start on their long journey to adulthood which can take more than 30 years. A female can weigh up to 50 kilograms and only breeds every two to four years, but during the breeding season they may next up to six times, laying about 120 eggs in each clutch. The sex of the hatchlings will depend on the temperature in the nest.

Hawksbill turtles are on the international endangered list as are loggerhead turtles. Loggerhead turtles are less frequently seen in these waters, this makes our beach find all the more exciting.

One of our young guests was beach combing after breakfast on Monday; Valentine’s Day when she spotted what she at first thought was a very realistic baby turtle model. As she went to pick it up she realized is was moving!! The baby turtle had washed ashore during strong northerly winds and was part hidden in seaweed. The baby was approximately 1 inch larger than the Hawksbill babies we have found on the island. We identified it as Loggerhead by examining the plate formations on its shell and its beak shape.

Loggerhead eggs take approximately 60 days to hatch. Hatchlings dig their way up through the sand and wait till night fall before emerging and making their way to the ocean. When they emerge from the nest loggerheads are usually only about 5 cm long.
The baby we found on Valentine’s Day was approximately 9 cm.

An adult loggerhead can live to be more than 50 years old, 90cm long and over 110 kg. Our little rescued turtle was allowed to rest in a tub of sea water all day and released after dark…hopefully it will come back to visit one day as a great big graceful adult to wow divers and snorkelers alike.

For more Belize information about the country in general and about our private island, visit our travel and adventure web page.