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Jaguar Beach, a coastal oasis where two unlikely creatures are inseparably intertwined on NOVA – Nov. 12 at 8 pm
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“Jaguar Beach”
Wednesday, November 12 at 8:00 pm
On a remote stretch of Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, the lush, volcanic landscape gives way to a startlingly different world: a dry tropical forest — one of the last of its kind on the planet—where a newly resurgent population of jaguars has reclaimed their kingdom. In the waters at its edge, legions of olive ridley sea turtles emerge from the ocean for one of nature’s most spectacular events, a mass nesting ritual called the arribada. Here, the two unlikely creatures meet, with spectacular consequences for both their species and the vastly different ecosystems they inhabit. Narrated by Chris Morgan.
Noteworthy Facts & Moments:
- In 1971, Costa Rica created Santa Rosa National Park after it was clearcut for agriculture. The park sprawls 200 square miles, and the forest is home to more than 250 species of birds.
- With the growing population of jaguars after a major decline, other predators have altered their behavior due to the new dynamics and presence of these apex predators. In rare footage, jaguars are seen mating, wrestling and even towing an unlucky dolphin for their next meal.
- Jaguars have the most powerful bite of any cat, and their tongues are lined with back-facing barbs that help with hunting and consuming their prey, including sea turtles.
- Santa Rosa National Park is one of the few places in the world where olive ridley sea turtles nest en masse.
- Olive ridley sea turtles are one of the only two turtle species that gather in a synchronized mass nesting event called arribada – Spanish for ‘arrival’.
- Only about one in a thousand turtle hatchlings survive to adulthood.