Grand Cayman Island Turtle Farm
By John McNamara & Tarek Khaleel

Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines and there are currently 300 types of turtles in existence today, most turtles that spend most of their life on land have their eyes looking down at objects in front of them. Some aquatic turtles, such as snapping turtles and soft-shelled turtles, have eyes closer to the top of the head. These species of turtles can hide from predators in shallow water where they lie entirely submerged except for their eyes and nostrils. Sea turtles possess glands near their eyes that produce salty tears that rid their body of excess salt taken in from the water they drink. Turtles are thought to have exceptional night vision due to the unusually large number of rod cells in their retinas. Turtles have color vision with a wealth of cone subtypes with sensitivities ranging from the near Ultraviolet (UV A) to Red. Some land turtles have very poor pursuit movement abilities, which are normally reserved for predators that hunt quick moving prey, but carnivorous turtles are able to move their heads quickly to snap. Turtles have a rigid beak. Turtles use their jaws to cut and chew food. Instead of teeth, horny ridges cover the upper and lower jaws of the turtle. Carnivorous turtles usually have knife-sharp ridges for slicing through their prey. Herbivorous turtles have serrated-edged ridges that help them cut through tough plants. Turtles use their tongues to swallow food, but they cannot, unlike most reptiles, stick out their tongues to catch food.

Although many turtles spend large amounts of their lives underwater, all turtles and tortoises breathe air, and must surface at regular intervals to refill their lungs. They can also spend much of their lives on dry land. A turtle can take up dissolved oxygen from the water using these papillae, in much the same way that fish use gills to respire. Turtles lay eggs, like other reptiles, which are slightly soft and leathery. The eggs of the largest species are spherical, while the eggs of the rest are elongated. In some species, temperature determines whether an egg develops into a male or a female: a higher temperature causes a female; a lower temperature causes a male. Large numbers of eggs are deposited in holes dug into mud or sand. They are then covered and left to incubate by themselves. When the turtles hatch, they squirm their way to the surface and head toward the water.

Grand Cayman Turtle Farm

If you need to be impressed some more, then bring your attention to this, researchers have recently discovered a turtle’s organs do not gradually break down or become less efficient over time, unlike most other animals. It was found that the liver, lungs, and kidneys of a centenarian turtle are virtually indistinguishable from those of its immature counterpart. This has inspired genetic researchers to begin examining the turtle genome for longevity genes and the possibility of a practical fountain of youth.

Now that you have a better idea of why these creatures are to be respected and are truly amazing in their own right, you will now understand why the Grand Cayman Island largest attractions is the Boatswain’s Turtle Farm. The Turtle Farm is located in the West Bay District of Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. To be more accurate is exactly in front of the dolphinarium just crossing the street, about 30 meters. The park’s address is 825 Northwest Point Road, which is about 8 miles from George Town. Layered with several different species of turtles and the different ecosystems they cohabitate in you can truly experience the mystery of these creatures up close and personal. In fact the option is given to you, on how much you really want to get to know these creatures, they offer the wet or dry tours. With the dry tour, you can see the turtles experience their habitat, but in a wet tour you actually get in the water with them, and interact with them, not to mention snorkel with them this opportunity is not presented anywhere else in the Western Hemisphere, or at least not to the extent the trainers in Grand Cayman Island take it to.

So don’t delay come today, make your reservations now andcome to Grand Cayman Island for an experience you will never forget and memories that will last a life time. These creatures are unique and bring something new and fresh to the table, theyare definitely not something you want to miss, and definitely something you must experience. Get admission FREE to the turtle farm whenever you purchase any of the swim with dolphin Grand Cayman programs, this activity is a guaranteed blast and will liven up any day come to the Caymans and lay your troubles away, relax and enjoy the beauty and bliss of the Boatswain’s Turtle Farm.