Imagine a world where sea turtles are extinct; did you know that was preventable? The hawksbill sea turtle population is drastically low and if action is not taken they will soon become extinct. Several factors come into play in the extinction of this species; the most evident one is their breeding behavior. Due to the natural breeding behavior of the hawksbill sea turtle and their inability to sustain a viable population, they are going extinct; however, if they were introduced into breeding programs their extinction would be prevented.
Hawksbill sea turtles, or Eretmochelys imbricata, are classified under the Cheloniidae family (Gems & Gemology 38). The scientific name, Eretmochelys imbricata, comes from the Latin word imbricatus which means "covered with tiles" (38); the plates of the hawksbills carapace overlap one another like the tiles of a roof. The hawksbill turtle gets it common name because of its beak like appendage on its face.
This beak like appendage is an important feature of the hawksbill turtle because it is needed in order to eat some of the hard food that consists of its diet. Hawksbills sustain themselves on sponges, mollusks, and other sedentary animals (OCEANA). The hawksbill uses its beak like jaws to get food out of the crevices in coral reefs (Seaturltes911).An interesting fact about the hawksbills diet is that they are the only sea turtle that can actually eat glass. They use their jaws to break apart the glass and safely eat it (JBHP). The consumption of glass sustains the turtle and balances the ecosystem.
Hawksbill sea turtles are in danger of extinction, and because of that they are listed as critically endangered under the Endangered Species Act (OCEANA). Several factors ar...
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Kamel, Stephanie Jill, and N. Mrosovsky. “Repeatability of nesting preferences in the hawksbill sea turtle, < i> Eretmochelys imbricate, and their fitness consequences.” Animal Behaviour 70.4 (2005) 819-828.
Parker, Denise M., et al “Short-Range Movements Of Hawksbill Turtles (Eretmochelys Imbricata) From Nesting to Foraging Areas Within The Hawaiian Islands.” Pacific Science 63.3 (2009): 371-382. Academic Search Elite. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
Walcott, J., S. Eckert, and J.Horrocks. “Tracking Hawksbill Sea Turtles (Eretmochelys Imbricata) During Inter-Nesting Intervals Around Barbados.” Marine Biology 159.4 (2012): 927-938. Academic Search Elite. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
"New Jersey Endangered and Threatened Species Field Guide." Wildlife Field Guide for New Jersey's Endangered and Threatened Species. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014.
Water turtles like to bask out of the water in the sun or under an Ultraviolet (UV) light, which provides the same effect as the sun would, so for this you need a place they can climb out and bask. This is also so they can rest from swimming in the water.
The efforts taking place through different conservation organizations and the State of Florida are making a mixed impact on the survival of Manatees and Sea Turtles. The decline in manatee population has decreased, but due to low reproduction rates, more needs to be done to avoid extinction. The sea turtle outlook is more species specific. Some species of turtle are seeing stabilization in population, while others are not. The State of Florida has a large array of custom license tags that support the conservation efforts taking place within the State. The proceeds go to benefit the local marine life in Florida. With financial resources, state and local cooperation, and through constant research and observation, we are able to learn more about both of these gentle animals. With human awareness of those living in Florida, these two animals will survive
Pickrell, John. “Ichthyosaur’s Turtle Supper Causes Extinction Debate”. National Geographic News.com 5 August 2003. 22 March 2004.
Crowder, L.B., Crouse, D.T., Heppel,S.S., &Martin, T.H. 1994. Predicting the impact of turtle excluder devices on loggerhead sea-turtle populations. Ecolocical Applications (4), 437-445
Turtles have been around for about 230 million years (Dobbs 1). In that time, they have seen the rise and fall of the dinosaurs and the rise of mankind. Marine turtles have been around for about 65 million years (Dobbs 1). This family has withstood the test of time and is being threatened by human’s impact on the sea. All six of the marine turtles occurring on the shores of America are at least threatened. Marine turtles are very important to the ecosystem but humans are endangering this family directly and indirectly; if humans do not stop their destructive habits, we may lose the influence of marine turtles on the earth’s seas.
two main breeds that inhabit the waters are the Green sea turtle and the Loggerhead sea turtle
Jose Urteaga is describing a leatherback turtle that has arrived to lay eggs on the beach. Jose works in Nicaragua, Central America. The area is home to five of the world 's seven sea turtles. Nearly all of the turtle species are threatened. The leatherback turtle is critically endangered.
Commercial fishing of other marine animals is one of the main reasons for drastic decline in all sea turtles. Turtles rely on air to breathe despite being marine animals, therefore when captured in nets while scavenging for food they most likely drown. In the US alone 250,000 turtles are accidently captured, injured or killed every year. (WWF, conserveturtles) However, there is also commercial fishing within sea turtles. Turtle’s shells, skin, meat and, eggs are valuable and decorative items that many humans want to
The Chelonia mydas, also known as the Hawaiian green sea turtle, or as Honu here in Hawaii, have roamed the oceans for millions of years. Forty years ago this beautiful species was almost completely removed from this earth, but was saved by the U.S. endangered species act of 1973. These magnificent creatures can now be found in abundance in the coastal strand and open ocean biomes of the North shore in Oahu, Hawaii. The green sea turtles occupy different habitats such as; beaches for nesting, open ocean convergence zones and coastal areas for benthic feeding. Unlike other sea turtles, the Honu don’t only use the beaches for nesting, they use them for thermoregulation in the sun. These green sea turtles have behaviors and characteristics
The Leatherback sea turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, is the largest sea turtle species and is highly migrational. They inhabit every ocean and are endangered in all of them (James et al. 2005, Roe et al. 2014). They require warm waters and tropical beaches for nesting and juvenile development, and cold Northern waters for foraging (Eckert 2002). Their diet is dependent on gelatinous zooplankton (Jones et al. 2012). Their major threats include pollution, bycatch, and egg harvesting. Many initiatives have been created to help their recovery including protecting critical beach and adjacent water habitats and stricter fishing regulations. Important nesting beaches in the discussed area are in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Florida (NMFS 1979, NMFS and USFWS 2013). Due to their expansive migrations, international cooperation has been necessary and resulted in international conventions to help regulate international trade of eggs and individuals and protecting ocean habitat between countries (CITES 1973, CBD 1992, IAC 2001, CMS 2011).
On the planet, there are hundreds of thousands of different species of animals. Turtles, being in the reptilian family of the animal kingdom, are thought to have only two types of species. These types are land and water turtles. However, this is not true. For example, having observed “Turtles unlimited” (iNaturalist, 2015), which is a research project that specializes in reptilian behavior and habitat of turtles, people will come to realize the importance of the different types of turtle species currently observable (U.S. Fish Wildlife Service, 2011). In Florida, there are over twenty types of species that exist today. For example, people, like this researcher, can observe the red-bellied Cooter turtles. Florida is known for its amazing wildlife, but it is also known for its growing human population. With all the trash in Venetians Gardens, it is an environmental
For weeks after learning about the topic, I wanted to learn more to add new knowledge for myself. So, I read research papers published by the lab and was astonished about how the topic of climate is discussed; a few of the papers discussed that climate change has a significant impact on the turtles and the sex determination process could be disturbed.
The Dwarf Seahorse’s predators include tunas, dorados, skates and rays, penguins, crabs, and water birds. Young dwarf’s are at the risk of at t...
Did you see that? Looking in the sea of the south and west tropical coast of Austria a diver observing very closely in the sea can easily miss this genital, well camouflaged marine fish in plain sight, the sea dragon. Although they are very similar to the seahorse, sea dragons are quite different in amazing ways and are divided into two diverse genus and species, Phycodurus eques (Leafy Sea Dragons) and Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (Weedy Sea Dragons). Here you will learn about the taxonomic classification (Kingdom, Phylums/Division, Class, Order, Family Genus, Species), physical characteristics/ biology, habitat, ecology, and much more. Let us examine this creature more closely.
Loggerhead Sea Turtles have many important benefits and attributions not only to the ocean but to humans as well. Since Loggerheads transport nutrients from oceans to beaches through their migrations and nesting they increase the rate of nutrient recycling in benthic, ocean bottom, ecosystems (Wilson et al. 2010). They constantly will be maintaining the coral reef ecosystem as well.