Zakynthos also known as Zante is a pretty island nestling in the Ionian Sea. it is the third largest of the Ionian islands with many picturesque beaches and bays. Navagio Beach, pictured below left, is a famous beach on Zakynthos and can only be reached by boat, there is a shipwreck on the beach that people flock to, to photograph!
Caretta Caretta!
This is the affectionate name for the Loggerhead Sea Turtle
This stunning sea creature comes ashore on several beaches in Zakynthos to lay their eggs. The Bay of Laganas which has six beaches, approximately four kilometres in length, hosts 800-1800 nests. The mothers come ashore between June and August, at night and drag their 100 Kg bodies up to the dry part of the sand where they leave over 100 eggs in a chamber40-60cm deep. They lay their eggs late at night but can be frightened by human intervention, such as noise or bright lights.
The surviving hatchlings emerge about two months later and return to the sea.
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The babies making way to the first of many adventures in the sea.
Twenty to thirty years later the female adults will return to their natal beach to reproduce......
So the circle of life continues, she returns to her place of birth to repeat the process once again.
Loggerhead Turtles are a protected species and it is forbidden to remain on the designated beaches of Zakynthos after sunset so that the turtles can emerge from the sea to lay their eggs in the hours of darkness.
The Greek national Anthem was written by a Zakynthos writer, Dionsios Solomos in 1823, then in1865 it was set to music by Nicholas Montzares. Inspired by the Greek War of Independence Solomos wrote the hymn to honour the struggle of greeks for independence after centuries of Ottoman rule.
My sincere thanks to the ZANY Denise for devising ABCW and the ever ZEALOUS Roger for doing what he does as the administrator of this ZEPHYR like blog site,
best wishes and thanks to all the helpers too!
Di.
ABCW team,
Such a beautiful spot in our world!
ReplyDeleteWonderful place to be i think.... you've made wonderful photo's too!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely and interesting post about a gorgeos place!
ReplyDeleteWish, I could be there...
Greetings from Germany
Beautiful island.
ReplyDeletePictures are pretty, indeed.
ReplyDeleteROG, ABCW
Beautiful photos, beautiful place .. Thanks for sharing xox Take cAre Anne
ReplyDeleteHi Di! We always seem to have the same subjects for the letter of the week! You have an interesting series of this Greek beach and turtles. When I was younger I could remember names a lot better than now.Thanks for your comment. Yes, the Greek gods were a lively lot. Like the Scandinavian gods last week.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week, Di!
Wil, ABCW Team.
I never did get to see a turtle when I visited.... as a younger man other priorities!
ReplyDeleteAnother part of the world on my list. I've doe a few Greek islands but this one as yet has escaped me. Lovely post for the time of year. Escape to sunshine needed.
ReplyDeleteGreek names are lovely like this island's name.
ReplyDeleteMy ABC WEDNESDAY
Great post, - turtles are such wonderful ancient creatures. I saw a picture on Facebook the other day of an old, very large, venerable turtle out walking with her daughter, about the size of a small saucer.
ReplyDeleteamazed at the turtles.
ReplyDeleteI went there about 20 years ago and it was lovely bu very very hot - happy memories!
ReplyDeleteLooks a lovely place - there are some canals that have long lock-free sections if you want to try them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments, Ellen ,Melody, Mascha, Rajsch, Roger, Anne and Wil.
ReplyDeleteThud, Jane and Photo Cache. Hildred, Ann Chen and Flowerpot.
I do apologise for not being able to answer each of your comments individually, as I've been away for several days and am trying to play catch up!
Best wishes to you all,
Di,
ABCW team,
Beautiful pictures of a special critter !
ReplyDeleteLovely clicks :) I don't travel much, so it's wonderful to do so through such posts. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteLeo @ I Rhyme Without Reason
Fascinating creatures and a discriminating chooser of fine beaches.
ReplyDeleteGattina, Vinay, Joy, Fritz Ant,
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to comment, It is most appreciated, I'm not able to
reply individually on this occasion as I'm having to do a lot of 'catch up' after two recent breaks!
Happy weekend,
best wishes,
Di,
ABCW team.
I wonder how common that is with other animals, generations coming back to the same location to give birth. Like the monarch butterfly. Maybe generations of butterflies keep flying the same route back and forth to lay their eggs where their ancestors did. A bully of a mockingbird has come back 3 years in a row now. I assume its to lay eggs and such. I have no idea whether it's the same mockingbird or its child or grandchild.
ReplyDeleteSome people do that, too, going back to their home town to raise their children.
It looks such a beautiful place to visit :-)
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