Pawikans: Our Friends

    There are few things more exciting than field trips--you really can't go wrong with taking trips to diverse and interesting places together with your friends. And fortunately, just this month back on February 3rd, we were blessed to have a field trip to Morong, Bataan and visit two main venues--the Pawikan Conservation Center, where we learned more about Pawikans and released hatchlings into the sea, and the currently idle Bataan Nuclear Power Plant where we learned about its construction and why we should go nuclear. However, in this entry we'll be discussing only the former, so read on for more about Pawikans.

PCC in Morong, Bataan

   First of all, we had this field trip because life is beautiful. A journey of the heart, the mind, the soul, a beautiful gift from our Everlasting Father. And it's not just the precious lives He's given us humans that deserves to be admired; but also the lives of the wonderful creatures He has created. One of which is the Pawikan--a beautiful creature we couldn't wait to learn more about. Our inner children called to us to be in awe of their simple beauty, and we were all to eager to do just that.     

Pawikan Hatchlings

    We joined the field trip because there was no way we were going to miss out on such incredibly fascinating venues--we were thrilled to learn more about, see, and release Pawikans into the sea! 

   Before the actual field trip, if we could use one adjective to describe us as we waited to get on the bus, it would be sleepy. Bataan is a long ride, so we had to be there very early. Also, Andy's bowels were on fire, but the less said about that the better. But, even if we were really sleepy, the exciting thoughts of meeting those adorable Pawikans and visiting a nuclear power plant weren't erased. 

Adult Pawikan

   We expected to learn a lot from the Pawikan Conservation Center, and we did. As a Conservation Center whose employees were once Pawikan thieves it was an interesting experience.  Let us give you some facts about the Pawikan or Sea Turtle that we learned from the trip and the previous talks we had from speakers in school like Sir Rye and Mr. Nacu. There are 7 species of Pawikans with 5 of them in the Philippines, namely the Green Sea turtle, Leatherback, Loggerhead, Hawksbill, and Olive Ridley. The beautiful pawikans that we saw in the conservation center were the Olive Ridley Turtles also known as Lepidochelys olivacea. 

  The Olive Ridley turtle is named for the generally greenish color of its skin and shell, or carapace.This interesting creature has the smallest size among the sea turtles. It has a unique heart-shaped carapace that measures only from 60 to 70 cm. Olive ridleys are found only in warmer waters, including the southern Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. 

Olive Ridley Turtle

   These turtles are solitary, preferring the open ocean. They migrate hundreds or even thousands of miles every year, and come together as a group only once a year for the arribada, when females return to the beaches where they hatched and lumber onshore to nest.

    The Olive Ridley is mostly carnivorous, feeding on such creatures as jellyfish, snails, crabs, and shrimp. They will occasionally eat algae and seaweed as well. Hatchlings, most of which perish before reaching the ocean, are preyed on by crabs, snakes,and birds, among others. Adults are often taken by sharks and humans for decorations and things (frames of eye glasses, guitars, bracelets,etc. ). The Olive Ridley eggs are mostly preyed on by humans who eat and sell it. 

Here is the taxonomic classification of the Olive Ridley Turtle:

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Reptilia
Order	Testudines
Family	Cheloniidae
Genus	Lepidochelys
Species	L. olivacea

Baby Olive-Ridley Hatchlings

   We had the pleasure of releasing Olive-Ridley hatchlings into the sea, and it was amazing. Seeing these beautiful creatures wriggle between our fingertips was absolutely unforgettable--it was downright moving to see such simple, incredible beauty. As we set them down near the shore they raced eagerly to get to the water, and we cheered them on giddily. Their first step of their journey was over, and ours was almost finished too. Keep looking out for the next posts, where we'll continue our discussion about our field trip.

The Curiosity Kids