This instinctive biological spectacle is something scientists hardly understand. Thousands of these turtles congregate off the shore for mating and, with the high evening tide, hordes of females hit the shore to lay eggs on the beaches. All night till dawn, for several days, they will come and go. Genetic evidence gathered so far seems to confirm folklore which has it that turtles always return to nest on the beach where they were hatched. Nobody knows, when it is time to nest, they do know how to go back where they were hatched.
Some people believe that they imprint as hatchlings on the smell of the sand and local water.
It is also one of the smallest, with a shell length of 30 inches or less. The leather- back which reaches 2,000 pounds and grows to six feet is the largest of all marine reptiles. Sea turtle research, which today enlists thousands of scientists and volunteers worldwide, was started in 1954 by the late herpetologist, Archie Carr, when he set up camp on the beach at Tortuguero, Costa Rica. Green turtle populations had declined drastically, and Carr was out to learn about them so he could protect them from extinction. To date a remarkable amount of effort has been applied by scientists in research but results are disappointing to many.