(Entry 10) Sea Turtles
Did you know there are only seven different sea turtle species worldwide? Their names are the green sea turtle, the hawksbill sea turtle, the leatherback sea turtle, the loggerhead sea turtle, the Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, the olive ridley sea turtle, and finally, the flatback sea turtle. All but one of these seven species can be found around the seas. The flatback is exclusive to Australia, and this could be because all breeding and hatching happens solely on Australian beaches, and they may not have to leave the region for food.
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It's heartbreaking to say, but according to World Wildlife, nearly all sea turtles are endangered, with three species classified as critically endangered. In Kino, Mexico, I met with the Grupo Tortuguero de Bahia Kino, which translates to Bahai Kino Turtle Group. They are a non-profit conservation group dedicated to studying sea turtles in the Kino bay. While with the family on duty that day, we had the privilege of seeing them catch six beautiful green sea turtles, also commonly known as black turtles to the people of Kino. After bringing them back to the beach, each turtle is measured and weighed. If they are not already in the system, they are tagged and given a name before release.
(measuring the shell across)The turtles are documented because every turtle is distinctly unique due to their markings. The weighing and measuring document the growth and loss between capture times. This is how they study their health. If the turtle is heavier, it is eating well. You can determine how old it might be based on the shell length and diameter. The group I was with that day informed me that the lifespan of these turtles has dropped to only 50 years old. The average human lifespan globally is 73.4 years. How can these creatures that have been around since the Triassic period 230 million years ago live such a short life when the only reason we live for so long is thanks to advanced medical care? The short answer? Pollution. These turtles live shorter lives due to living in the polluted waters that we, as a human race, created. They mistake plastic waste for food, and the water has become less than ideal for their environment.
(tagging the turtle)These beautiful creatures don't deserve such a fate. The Mexican government protects the turtles and their waters but can only do so much. And it is truly a shame the rest of the world does so little for them.
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The hook you used at the beginning was amazing and really drew my attention to your post from the very beginning. I think it's so awesome that you incorporated your own life experiences into this post. It makes it clear that this is something you really care about! This isn't really a fun fact; it's actually quite depressing, but did you know that we have to incubate turtle eggs ourselves since the sand is too hot for them to properly mature? This is because the gender of a sea turtle is based on the egg's temperature. If it is warm, it will be female; if it is colder, it will be male. Since global warming is slowly heating up the environment, most turtles are born female.
ReplyDeleteYes!! The beach sand temperature is actually one of the contributing factors to their endangerment. Thank you so much for reading and sharing your own knowledge. I'm actually quite passionate on the subject.
DeleteIt's super nice to see that people are trying to help save the turtles. They are such incredible creatures and seeing them endangered just makes me so sad.
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