Reptiles and amphibians
Leatherbacks expand nesting range in Ecuador
A study records an unprecedented nesting season in Ecuador, suggesting eastern Pacific leatherbacks may be responding to changing ocean conditions.
Reported by Phys.org · · 2 min read
Eastern Pacific leatherback turtles, a critically endangered population, established an unusually large number of nests on Ecuadorian beaches during the 2025–2026 season, according to a new study. The sites are more than 1,000 miles from the turtles’ customary nesting areas in Mexico and Costa Rica.
Researchers examined over 45 years of Ecuadorian records, including sightings of adult females, nesting attempts, hatch rates and strandings. They compared those observations with El Niño and La Niña cycles, which influence sea-surface temperatures across the southeastern tropical Pacific.
The records show that nesting and turtle activity in Ecuador rose during cooler La Niña periods, particularly over the past decade. The researchers found that egg production and hatching results there were similar to those reported at established nesting beaches farther north. Some Ecuadorian nests generated unusually high numbers of young turtles.
Juan José Alava of Simon Fraser University, a lead author of the research, said the pattern may indicate that the turtles are adjusting their reproductive behavior as ocean conditions change. Leatherbacks are able to live in both warm and cold environments and travel thousands of miles between tropical nesting beaches and subpolar feeding waters, where they eat jellyfish.
One turtle, named Bella by researchers, illustrated both the promise and hazards of Ecuador’s beaches. In 2026, artificial lighting at Playa de Crucita confused her during an initial nesting attempt, and she reached a sidewalk after crossing a breakwater. She returned on a later night, successfully deposited 47 eggs, and produced 44 hatchlings. Researchers later determined that she nested four or five times that year; across 146 eggs, 134 hatchlings emerged, a reported success rate of 91.8%.
The eastern Pacific leatherback population has fallen by more than 90% since the 1980s. Scientists link the decline to unusually warm El Niño conditions, climate change, fishing bycatch, plastic pollution, vessel collisions, egg collection and the loss of nesting habitat.
The study’s authors say Ecuador’s beaches require continued monitoring and protection. They also call for measures to reduce bycatch, careful coastal planning and conservation programs developed with local and traditional ecological knowledge.
