Modern sea turtles emerged approximately 120 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. Four families of sea turtle were extant in the Cretaceous Period, Toxochelyidae, Protostegidae, Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae (Hayes, 2005). Of the four sea turtle familes, three survived the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction 63 million years ago. Two lineages of sea turtle survived through the Eocene Epoch 55 to 38 millions years ago (Bowen, 2003). One lineage was the predecessor of the Dermochelys coriacea (leatherback turle), the only member of the family Dermochelyidae, and the other lineage gave rise to the six species of the family Cheloniidae, one of which is the loggerhead sea turtle (Bowen, 2003).
The loggerhead turtle primarily has a temperate
In the Grapes of Wrath, a novel by John Steinbeck, there are many examples of symbolism. One of the most prominent symbols found in this book is the turtle seen in chapter three. This turtle is symbolic of three things: the Joads and their journey west, Tom Joad himself, and the promise of new life. First, here’s a little background information on the turtle. This land turtle was somewhere to go. Where than is, no one knows, except perhaps John Steinbeck. To get there the turtle decides to take the perilous journey down a dusty dirt road that stretches along the quiet countryside. What could happen? A lot more than one might think. In fact, the turtle faces quite a few challenged ranging from pesky insects, to ledges, to even cars. But, the thing that makes this turtle special is that he never gives up (Pages
One hundred and fifty million years ago, large aquatic species of reptile such as the Plesiosaur dominated the ocean, and were pre-eminent predators of the sea. The branch of now extinct Plesiosaurs, or ‘near lizards’, evolved into variant closely related species specialised to take different niches in the food chain. Such species of Plesiosaur include the phenotypically similar Plesiosauroid and Pliosauroid. The physiological adaptations of the long necked variant, the Plesiosauroid, as it relates to deep sea diving, will be addressed in depth.
The World on the Turtle’s Back is a story created, told, and passed down by the Iroquois in order to explain how the world came to be through their own cultural perspective. “In the beginning there was no world, no land, no creatures of the kind that are around us now”pg.1. For there to be the world in which we reside there must have been a way in which it began. Such things are often explained through what is known as creation myths. A symbolic narrative of how the world began and how people first came to inhabit it. While in popular usage the term myth often refers to false or fanciful stories, formally, it does not imply falsehood. Cultures generally regard their creation myths as true. In the society in which it is told, a creation myth
Throughout the animal kingdom, adaptations take place continuously and even the smallest of changes can leave a significant impact. Examples can be seen within any plant or animal. One example would include sea turtles, specifically, the Loggerhead Turtles. These turtles are native to the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea (Deurmit L 2007). They thrive in either temperate or tropical climates and can live in a myriad of biomes (Deurmit L 2007). These biomes include the pelagic, reef, coastal, and brackish water (Deurmit L 2007). Loggerhead turtles are omnivores and can eat anything from insects to aquatic crustaceans, to macro algae (Deurmit L 2007). According to Deurmit (2007) Caretta caretta is classified into Animalia Kingdom, Chordata Phylum, Vertebrata Subphylum, Reptilian Class, Testudines’ Order,
An English naturalist Charles Darwin (1802-1882) developed a theory of biological evolution. He studied variation in plants and animals during his five years’ voyage around the world in the 19th century. Darwin studied hundreds of species, which he researches variations between locations. His theory states that all species of organism arise and develop through natural selection. Natural selection is the process of organisms that adapt to their surrounding environment, which tend to survive and produce more offspring. Killer whales are remarked to have evolutionary links from land dwelling organisms, millions of years ago. This paper will display the evolution and natural selection of the killer whale.
Loggerhead sea turtles, scientifically labeled Carretta carretta, are the most global nesting turtle species and the most abundant in United State’s waters. While they are not nesting, they travel through open ocean water, spending time searching for food and resting on the sea floor. These turtles were nicknamed Loggerheads because of their large heads and strong jaw needed to break the shells of crustaceans. Loggerheads have the largest nesting range of any sea turtle, inhabiting the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans (Spotila, 2004).
Orconectes rusticus, also known as Rusty crayfish, are freshwater benthic omnivores that are important in the lentic ecosystem (Nilsson, E, et al, 2012). Nilsson et al, observed how the Rusty crayfish that are native to the Ohio River valley in North America are dispersing to other lakes and becoming an invader of that ecosystem. Rusty crayfish feed on the microphytes, (Nilsson, E, et al, 2012) which are aquatic plants that enhance water transparency and aquatic biodiversity in fresh water ecosystems (Peeters Ehm, et al. (2013)). Microphytes also provide shelter and food for native fishes such as lepomis. Lepomis also prey on the juvenile rusty crayfish. Abundances of rusty crayfish, macrophytes and Lepomis were associated by a feedback that
The green sea turtles have been taken out of the Atlantic Ocean for several years, so now they are an endangered species. Today, the green sea turtles population is growing and in the Florida Refuge they counted up to over 12,000 turtle nests. It is shocking to see how much the refuges care about the green sea turtles. They have been looking out for the turtles for 35 years. It was interesting to find out that these green sea turtles live for a really long time. It takes the turtles 25 years just to mature. This article caught my eye because I love science and animals. Knowing that people are taking care of what used to be endangered animals really means a lot to me. I hate seeing animals hurt or struggling to survive. Because of the refuges
Yertle the Turtle was a children’s book written by Theodor Seuss Geisel, commonly known as Doctor Seuss, and first released on April 12, 1958. It is about a turtle king named Yertle who is engrossed in building a bigger and bigger throne, which would then lead to his downfall. Doctor Seuss very much dislike the idea of a Fascist state, namely the Axis powers, and was pro-democracy. This book was written post WW2 would no doubt reflect his strong feelings for the Allied cause to liberate the Fascist states. Although not necessarily fascist, Yertle the Turtle could be interpreted as a very close representation of Josef Stalin, the leader of the USSR.
You probably think horseshoe crabs are crustaceans, but you’d be wrong. They actually aren’t crabs at all, and there’s more about the horseshoe crab that you wouldn’t believe. This weird-looking marine animal survived two mass extinctions and lived in the Ordovician Period.
Introduction Caretta caretta, otherwise known as the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, is an oceanic turtle that exist throughout the globe. They are circumtropical species (LeBlanc et al. 2014) meaning they are distributed throughout temperate and tropical ocean regions, but most abundant species are found in the United States coastal range. Loggerheads largest nesting aggregations in the Atlantic are found along the southeastern United States coastal range where about 80% of all nesting occurs and 90% of all hatchlings are produced (Abecassis et al. 2013).
What does one think of when the word “turtle” is mentioned? This adorable creature is usually thought of as slow, futile, and the unsung hero of “The Tortoise and Hare.” However, Kay Ryan argues in her poem “Turtle” that turtles are more than just these things: they are strong but unfortunate creatures that must put up with many obstacles in order to survive. Despite the struggles that she faces, the turtle exhibits a multitude of different strengths to overcome them, as seen as the poem progresses.
“On Broadway, in New York, there is a penny arcade which used to sell baby terrapins that were scrawled with bon mots in enamel paint, such as KISS ME BABY.”(Hoagland p.154) “They were as dry as a heap of old bones in the sun; nevertheless, they were creeping over one another gimpy, doing their best to escape.” (Hoagland p.154) “He drank thirstily but would not eat and had none of the hearty, accepting qualities of wood turtles.” (Hoagland p.155) “He was morose, paler in color, sleeker and more Oriental in the carved ridges and rings that formed his shell.” (Hoagland p.155) Take a gander at how a turtle begins its life. In the wake of deliver, generally to some degree close to the water, it gives off an impression of being adequately fundamental to twist over some sensible sand and start swimming off to begin a presence. Then again, young turtles are in convincing hazard from the most punctual beginning stage. In fact, even with a short detachment to cross and couple of impediments in the course, there are various predators and unforgiving parts to drive forward. A little rate of sea turtles makes it past most punctual stages. An obviously fundamental task has significantly more behind it. Strength isn't for the most part anticipated that would go into something. Every so often it is relied upon to persevere
Reptiles are vertebrate, or backboned animals constituting the class Reptilia and are characterized by a combination of features, none of which alone could separate all reptiles from all other animals.The characteristics of reptiles are numerous, therefore can not be explained in great detail in this report. In no special order, the characteristics of reptiles are: cold-bloodedness; the presence of lungs; direct development, without larval forms as in amphibians; a dry skin with scales but not feathers or hair; an amniote egg; internal fertilization; a three or four-chambered heart; two aortic arches (blood vessels) carrying blood from the heart to the body, unlike mammals and birds that only have one; a metanephric kidney; twelve pairs of cranial nerves; and skeletal features such as limbs with usually five clawed fingers or toes, at least two spinal bones associated with the pelvis, a single ball-and-socket connection at the head-neck joint instead of two, as in advanced amphibians and mammals, and an incomplete or complete partition along the roof of the mouth, separating the food and air passageways so that breathing can continue while food is being chewed. These and other traditional defining characteristics of reptiles have been subjected to considerable modification in recent times. The extinct flying reptiles, called pterosaurs or pterodactyls, are now thought to have been warm-blooded and covered with hair. Also, the dinosaurs are also now considered by many authorities to have been warm-blooded. The earliest known bird, archaeopteryx, is now regarded by many to have been a small dinosaur, despite its covering of feathers The extinct ancestors of the mammals, the therapsids, or mammallike reptiles, are also believed to have been warm-blooded and haired.
Studying the evolutionary history and adaption for this species is difficult and an ongoing struggle for scientists. It is classified in the order of Chondrichthyes suborder Elasmobranchii and family of Rhincodontidea. The difficulty in tracing this species evolutionary history stems from the fact that its ancestry dates back 245 million year ago to the Jurassic and Cretaceous