A hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) that was marked with a metal plate three years ago has returned to lay eggs in Macuro, on the northeastern Venezuelan peninsula of Paria. “It is another scientific demonstration that these turtles remember the beach where they hatch, and return to lay their eggs — 180 in this case — after surviving predators during 35 months,” ecologist Luis Cova told Tierramérica.

The event was recorded by staff from the Environment Ministry on the birthday of independence hero Simón Bolívar, July 24, at the site where Christopher Columbus first reached the continent, in 1498.

On several beaches across the peninsula, nesting sites have been set up to protect the eggs, and observation posts to track the population of adults arriving to lay eggs.