Latest Turtle Stories
The number of endangered leatherback sea turtle nests at 68 beaches in Florida has increased by 10.2 percent a year since 1979, according to a new Duke University-led study published in the current issue of the journal Ecological Applications.Some beaches posted annual increases of more than 16 percent, others as low as 3.1 percent.The population boom of turtle nests in the Sunshine State mirrors trends observed for other Atlantic leatherback sea turtle populations and is "very...
VAN NUYS, Calif., April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate the 33rd Anniversary of Little Tikes' beloved Sea Turtle Sandbox, Little Tikes is partnering with the Sea Turtle Conservancy, the world's oldest sea turtle research and conservation group. Together they will raise awareness about worldwide threats to sea turtles and encourage positive stewardship of ocean and coastal habitats. The Sea Turtle Conservancy was founded fifty years ago to save sea turtles from imminent extinction...
From the very first moments of life, hatchling loggerhead sea turtles have an arduous task. They must embark on a transoceanic migration, swimming from the Florida coast eastward to the North Atlantic and then gradually migrating over the course of several years before returning again to North American shores. Now, researchers reporting online on February 24 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, have figured out how the young turtles find their way."One of the great mysteries of...
By Louis Bergeron, StanfordTagging and tracking leatherback sea turtles has produced new insights into the turtles' behavior in a part of the South Pacific Ocean long considered an oceanic desert. The new data will help researchers predict the turtles' movements in the ever-changing environment of the open ocean, with the goal of reducing the impact of fishing on the endangered leatherback population. Leatherbacks. They are the Olympians of the turtle world "“ swimming farther, diving...
LINDEN, N.J., Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Turtle & Hughes Inc., www.turtle.com, one of the largest independent electrical and industrial distributors in the U.S., has earned the number one spot on NJ Biz Lists 2010 Top Women-Owned Businesses in New Jersey. The list, which was released December 13, 2010, ranked 151 New Jersey-based companies across all industries based on 2009 revenue. The company has also been among the top 50 women-owned businesses of any kind nationwide for more...
Sun Turtle Naturals Website Allows Customers To Purchase Natural Soap From The Comfort Of Home. The Sun Turtle Naturals website allows online visitors to peruse and purchase the company's all-natural soaps, customizable gift baskets, and other natural body care products. Website visitors can also learn how Sun Turtle's unique and empowering philosophy of Turtle Wisdom is woven throughout their business principles and product offerings. Louisville, CO (PRWEB) November 19, 2010 The Sun...
Leatherback turtles are remarkably versatile divers. Routinely diving to depths of several hundred meters, leatherbacks are occasionally known to plunge as deep as 1250m. The animals probably plumb the depths to avoid predators, search for prey and avoid heat in the tropics. However it wasn't clear how these mammoth reptiles regulate their buoyancy as they plunge down. Sabrina Fossette from Swansea University explains that no one knew how the turtles descended so far: do they swim down or...
New research has revealed up to 16,000 endangered turtles are being caught each year by villagers in just one region of Madagascar, despite a government ban.Researchers from the University of Exeter and Blue Ventures Conservation say the figure, thought to be a conservative estimate, is the first direct assessment of turtle exploitation on the island.The study highlights the extent of small-scale fishing, traditionally very difficult to monitor, and could be vital in finding a way to...
According to researchers studying the impacts of debris on marine life, one in three loggerhead turtles in the Adriatic Sea has plastic in its intestine. The shallow waters in the Adriatic Sea are an important place for the turtles to feed as they develop into adults. However, the seafloor there is one of the most polluted in Europe. Researchers studied the bodies of dead sea turtles that had been stranded or accidentally caught by fishing vessels. The team found that animals ranging from...
The "turtle and dugong capital of the world", the northern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and Torres Strait region, faces increased pressure under climate change from human actions such as fishing, hunting, onshore development and pollution."Depletion of turtle and dugong numbers increases their vulnerability to other threats and lowers their ability to cope with climate change," Dr Mariana Fuentes of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and James Cook University told the Coral...
Latest Turtle Reference Libraries
The Hawksbill Turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The species is distributed throughout all of the world's seas, but the Atlantic and pacific populations are divided into two subspecies. E. I. imbricata is the Atlantic subspecies and E. I. bissa is the Pacific subspecies. The Hawksbill is predominantly known as a tropical sea turtle found in the tropical seas of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. However, they...
Kemp's Ridley, Lepiochelys kempii, is a critically endangered species of sea turtle. Their range includes the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. They are also the only turtle which almost all the females return to one single beach (Rancho Nuevo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas) every single year to lay their eggs. They are the smallest of the sea turtle species, growing less than 40 inches and weighing about 100 pounds as an adult. Kemp's Ridley sea turtle changes color with its...
The Leatherback Sea Turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, is the biggest of all living turtles. It reaches a length of over 8.8 feet and a weight of 2,000 pounds. It is the world's 4th largest reptile. It is found in all tropical and subtropical oceans. It is the only extant species in the genre Dermochelys and the family Dermochelyidae. This species has many unique features that distinguish it greatly from other sea turtles. Its shell lacks the bony scales of other turtles, comprising mainly of...
The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macroclemys temminckii) is a larger yet less aggressive relative of the common snapping turtle. It is characterized by a large, heavy head and a thick tail with a dorsal ridge of large scales which gives it a primitive appearance reminiscent of some of the plated dinosaurs. The inside of the turtle's mouth is camouflaged and it possesses a vermiform appendage on the tip of its tongue with which it lures fish. Like the common snapping turtle, the alligator...
