Bimini Freshwater Turtle

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Bimini's Elusive Freshwater Turtle

As eco-tourism on Bimini draws more visitors, more of the island’s unique wildlife are beginning to get the attention & admiration they deserve. But, some rare and highly elusive creatures still remain largely unnoticed. Did you know that there is an animal here that is only found on South Bimini, and only in a few small areas? Amazingly, South Bimini is home to a species of freshwater turtle.

The turtle, as yet unidentified by scientists, is likely a close relative to the Cat Island Slider found on a handful of Bahamian islands. To date, this turtle has only been seen on Bimini in two small ponds down near the airport.

Back in the year 2000, a team of researchers visited Bimini and successfully captured, tagged and released 6 of these freshwater turtles, but little has been done since. Just recently, in the first week of April 2008, members of the Bimini Sands Recreation Department and a few of the Sharklab staff members teamed up to recapture one of these rare turtles that was tagged back in 2000.

Hopefully, in the near future more research can be done to learn about these mysterious reptiles.

For more information on this rare and elusive turtle, visit the Bimini Sands Recreation & Activity Center.