Giant tortoises of the Galápagos Islands! 97% of the land that make up this archipelago off the Western coast of Ecuador is protected as part of the national park system to protect the unique wildlife species living there.
Ice baths, swimming in glacier-fed lakes, or cold showers, are just a few chilly options for tapping into optimal health. Earlier this month, I spent a week in Northern Spain learning the Wim Hof Method (combining breathing, cold therapy, and mindfulness, to connect more deeply with your body and boost immunity). That’s me in the … More Ice Bath Immune Boost
Sea turtles have always been thought to be loners. Turns out, these ocean reptiles may not be total party animals, but they do like to check each other out sometimes. Marine biologist Nathan Robinson studies juvenile green sea turtles in The Bahamas. He designed and built a camera that fits on a sea turtle’s shell. … More Sea Turtle ‘Dash Cam’
Wrangling reptiles, sea creatures that swim, in the name of science, grab your mask, snorkel, fins. Turtle Rodeo is the research technique, an ocean adventure not for the meek. Sea turtles spend 99% of their life in the water, which means researchers need to go to the turtle’s turf to study them. Scientists hand capture the … More Susie’s Excellent Island Adventure
I’ll be returning to the Bahamas later this week to work with marine scientists tracking juvenile green sea turtle habitat. Here, I recount my June, 2018 experience. Come along for this wild ride! My expedition as an eco-volunteer with Earthwatch, the global conservation organization, begins on the hot tarmac at Rock Sound airport in Eleuthera, … More Turtle Rodeo
When I saw my first nesting leatherback during night patrol I was in awe of this ancient creature laying its eggs against the sky’s Milky Way, nature’s firework display of bioluminescence bursting off the crashing waves. Our work as Earthwatch volunteers with the January, 2019 Costa Rican Leatherbacks expedition included night patrol, morning beach sweeps and … More Dinosaur Descendants: Leatherback Sea Turtles
Tracks in the sand. No, not monster truck tires, but those of an adult female green sea turtle. Each morning in Tortuguero, Costa Rica, dozens of tracks line the beach. Follow them to nesting pits made the night before with only a few humans and the star-studded night sky as their witness.
Last month I spent 8 days as a volunteer at the Sea Turtle Conservancy’s research station in Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Sea turtle eggs have an incubation period of about 60 days. At the 62-63 day mark the nests are excavated to see if the clutch has hatched. Quite often there are a few baby turtles that … More I Saved a Sea Turtle
Mañana, viejo a Tortugueros, Costa Rica trabajar con el Conservation de Tortugas Marinas. Mi fascinación con estas descendientes de dinosaurios empezó hace 30 anos en Isla Mujeres, Mexico cuando tuve un buen vistazo con tortugas verdes. I have logged over 40 miles beach-walking on the shores of Lake Michigan in training for my research work … More Cost Rica Here I Come
Grab your snorkeling gear, hold tight to the seat of your motor scooter and join Nutmeg on Spice Island as she untangles the Mess at Mangrove Marina.
Susan Hunnicutt 