Sea Turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea) inhabit all the world's oceans except the Arctic The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest, and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions. The International Hydrographic Organization recognizes it as an ocean, although some oceanographers call it the Arctic Mediterranean Sea or simply the Arctic Sea, classifying.

Contents

Distribution

The superfamily In biological classification of organisms, rank is a term used to indicate the relative level in a taxonemic hierarchy; taxa may be ranked at a particular taxonemic level. The most basic rank is that of species, other well-known ranks are genus and family Chelonioidea has a worldwide distribution; sea turtles can be found in all oceans except for the polar regions.[citation needed] Some species travel between oceans. The Flatback turtle is found solely on the northern coast of Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the mainland, which is both the world's smallest continent and the world's largest island, the island of Tasmania, and numerous other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.N4 It is the only area of land simultaneously considered a continent,.

Biology

Air breathers

A Green turtle breaks the surface to breathe.

Sea turtles are almost always submerged but breathe air. With a single explosive exhalation and rapid inhalation, sea turtles can quickly refill their lungs when they surface. Their lungs have adapted to permit rapid exchange of oxygen and to avoid trapping gasses during deep dives. During routine activity green Chelonia mydas, commonly known as the green turtle is a large sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. The range of the species extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Their common name derives from the and loggerhead turtles The Loggerhead Sea Turtle is a sea turtle and the only member of the genus Caretta. The genus name "Caretta" is a latinization of the French "caret", meaning turtle, tortoise, or sea turtle. A loggerhead sea turtle reportedly grows up to 800 lbs (364 kg) and 3.5 feet (1.1 m) long. Their shell color is a reddish brown color, and dive for about 4 to 5 minutes and surface to breathe for 1 to 3 seconds.

Turtles can rest or sleep underwater for several hours at a time but submergence time is much shorter while hunting or to escape predators. Activity and stress affect breath-holding ability, which is why turtles drown in shrimp trawls and other fishing gear within a relatively short time.[1] Turtles must emerge while breeding, given the extra level of activity.

Life history

Green turtle Chelonia mydas, commonly known as the green turtle is a large sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. The range of the species extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Their common name derives from the swims above corals at Hawaii A feeding sea turtle,Chelonia mydas

The longevity of sea turtles has been speculated at 80 years.

After about 3 years of maturing, adult female sea turtles return to land to nest at night. Different species of sea turtles exhibit various levels of philopatry Broadly, philopatry is the behaviour of remaining, or returning to, an individual's birthplace. More specifically, in ecology philopatry is the behaviour of elder offspring sharing the parental burden in the upbringing of their siblings, a classic example of kin selection. It derives from the Greek 'home-loving', although it can be applied to more. In the extreme case, females return to the beach where they hatched. This can take place every two to four years in maturity. They make from one to eight nests per season.

The mature nesting female hauls herself onto the beach and finds suitable sand on which to create a nest. Using her hind flippers, she digs a circular hole 40 to 50 centimetres (16 to 20 in) deep. After the hole is dug, the female then starts filling the nest with a clutch of soft-shelled eggs one by one until she has deposited around 150 to 200 eggs, depending on the species. Some species have been reported to lay 250 eggs, though this is not definitive. After laying, she re-fills the nest with sand, re-sculpting and smoothing the surface until it is relatively undetectable visually. The whole process takes thirty to sixty minutes. She then returns to the ocean, leaving the eggs untended.[2]

The hatchling's gender depends on the sand temperature. Lighter sands maintain higher temperatures, which decreases incubation time and results in more female hatchlings.

Incubation takes about two months. The eggs in one nest hatch together over a very short period of time.When ready, hatchlings tear their shells apart with their snout and dig through the sand. Once they reach the surface, they instinctively head towards the sea. Only a very small proportion of each hatch (usually .01%) succeed, because local opportunist predators such as the common seagull gorge on the new turtles.

The survivors then proceed into the open ocean. In 1987 Carr discovered that the young of Chelonia mydas Chelonia mydas, commonly known as the green turtle is a large sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. The range of the species extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Their common name derives from the and Caretta caretta spent a great deal of their pelagic Any water in the sea that is not close to the bottom is in the pelagic zone. The word pelagic comes from the Greek πέλαγος or pélagos, which means open sea lives in floating sargassum Sargassum is a genus of brown macroalgae (seaweed) in the order Fucales. Numerous species are distributed throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world, where they generally inhabit shallow water and coral reefs. However, the genus may be best known for its planktonic (free-floating) species. Any number of the normally benthic species beds, where are thick mats of unanchored seaweed Seaweed is a loose colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae. Seaweeds can also be classified by use. Within these beds, they found ample shelter and food. In the absence of sargassum beds, turtle young feed in the vicinity of upwelling An Upwelling is an oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water towards the ocean surface, replacing the warmer, usually nutrient-depleted surface water. There are at least five types of upwelling: coastal upwelling, large-scale wind-driven upwelling in the ocean interior, upwelling "fronts".[3] In 2007, Reich determined that green turtle Chelonia mydas, commonly known as the green turtle is a large sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. The range of the species extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Their common name derives from the hatchlings spend the first three to five years of their lives in pelagic Any water in the sea that is not close to the bottom is in the pelagic zone. The word pelagic comes from the Greek πέλαγος or pélagos, which means open sea waters. In the open ocean, pre-juveniles of this particular species were found to feed on zooplankton Zooplankton are the heterotrophic type of plankton. Plankton are organisms drifting in the water column of oceans, seas, and bodies of fresh water. The name of zooplankton is derived from the Greek zoon (ζῴον), meaning "animal", and planktos (πλαγκτος), meaning "wanderer" or "drifter". Many zooplankton and smaller nekton Nekton refers to the aggregate of actively swimming aquatic organisms in a body of water able to move independently of water currents. Nekton are contrasted with 'plankton' which refers to the aggregate of passively floating, drifting, or somewhat motile organisms occurring in a body of water, primarily comprising tiny algae and bacteria, small before they are recruited into inshore seagrass meadows as obligate herbivores.[4][5]

Instead of nesting individually like the other species, Ridley turtles come ashore en masse, known as an "arribada" (arrival). With the Kemp's Ridley this occurs during the day.

Salt gland

Sea turtles possess a salt excretory gland at the corner of the eye, in the nostrils, or in the tongue, depending upon the species; chelonian salt glands are found in the corner of the eyes in leatherback turtles. Due to the iso-osmotic makeup of jellyfish and the other gelatinous prey upon which sea turtles subsist, sea turtle diets are high in salt; chelonian salt gland excretions are almost entirely composed of sodium chloride1500-1800 mosmoll-1 (Marshall and Cooper, 1988; Nicolson and Lutz, 1989; Reina and Cooper, 2000).

Importance to humans

Moche Sea Turtle. 200 A.D. Larco Museum Collection The Larco Museum is located in the Pueblo Libre District in Lima, Peru. The museum is housed in an 18th century vice-royal mansion built over a 7th century pre-Columbian pyramid. It showcases chronological galleries that provide a thorough overview of 4,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. It boasts one of the world's largest collections Lima, Peru. "Manner in which Natives of the East Coast strike turtle." Near Cooktown Cooktown is the northernmost town on the east coast of Australia, located at the mouth of the Endeavour River, on Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, Australia. From Phillip Parker King's Survey. 1818.

Marine turtles are caught worldwide, although it is illegal to hunt most species in many countries.[6][7] A great deal of intentional marine turtle harvests worldwide are for food.

Many parts of the world have long considered sea turtles to be fine dining. Ancient Chinese Chinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River valley in the Neolithic era. The written history of China begins with the Shang Dynasty (ca. 1550BCE - ca. 1046 BCE). Turtle shells with ancient Chinese writing from the Shang Dynasty have been carbon dated to as early as 1500 BCE. The origins of Chinese culture, texts dating to the fifth century B.C. describe sea turtles as exotic delicacies.[8] Many coastal communities around the world depend on sea turtles as a source of protein, often harvesting several turtles at once and keeping them alive on their backs until needed. Coastal peoples gather turtle eggs for consumption.[9]

Turtles are popular in Mexico The United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos ), commonly known as Mexico (English: /ˈmɛksɪkoʊ/) (Spanish: México (help·info) [ˈmexiko]), is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, as boot A boot is a type of footwear that covers at least the foot and the ankle and sometimes extends up to the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece. Traditionally made of leather or rubber, modern boots are made from a variety of materials material and food Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be eaten or drunk by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure. Items considered food may be sourced from plants, animals or other categories such as fungus or fermented products like alcohol. Although many human cultures sought food items through.[10]

To a much lesser extent, specific species of marine turtles are targeted not for their flesh, but for their shells. Tortoiseshell, a traditional decorative ornamental material used in Japan and China, comes from the carapace A carapace is a dorsal section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids as well as vertebrates such as chelonians, order Testudines, turtles and tortoises scutes A scute or scutum is a chitinous, or bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodiles, or the feet of some birds. They are similar to scales, but unlike the scales of fish, they are derived from the epidermis. The term is also used to describe the scales of some armored mammals, such as the armadillo and the of the hawksbill turtle The hawksbill turtle is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in its genus. The species has a worldwide distribution, with Atlantic and Pacific subspecies. Eretmochelys imbricata imbricata is the Atlantic subspecies, while Eretmochelys imbricata bissa is found in the Indo-Pacific region.[11][12] Ancient Greeks Ancient Greek is the historical stage in the development of the Greek language spanning across the Archaic , Classical (c. 5th–4th centuries BC), and Hellenistic (c. 3rd century BC–6th century AD) periods of ancient Greece and the ancient world. It is predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek. Its Hellenistic phase is known as Koine and ancient Romans Ancient Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea, it became one of the largest empires in the ancient world processed turtle scutes (primarily from the hawksbill) for various articles and ornaments used by their elites, such as combs and brushes.[13] The skin of the flippers are prized for use as shoes and assorted leather-goods.

The Moche The Moche civilization flourished in northern Peru from about 100 A.D. to 800 A.D., during the Regional Development Epoch. While still the subject of some debate, many scholars contend that the Moche were not politically organized as a monolithic empire or state but rather as a group of autonomous polities that shared a common elite culture as people of ancient Peru Peru , officially the Republic of Peru (Spanish: República del Perú, pronounced [reˈpuβlika ðel peˈɾu] ( listen)), is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean worshipped the sea and its animals. They often depicted sea turtles in their art.[14]

Sea turtles enjoy immunity from the sting of the deadly box jellyfish Box jellyfish are invertebrates belonging to the class Cubozoa, named for their cube-shaped medusae. Cubozoans are categorized separately from other types of jellyfish and are considered more complex than Scyphozoans. Likewise, Chironex fleckeri , the best-known species of box jellyfish, is only one of a category which actually contains about 19 and regularly eat them, helping keep tropical beaches safe for humans.

Conservation

Legal notice posted by nest at Boca Raton Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida incorporated in May 1925. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about 200,000 in total, are not actual residents of municipal, Florida Florida ( /ˈflɒrɪdə/ ) is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States. Much of the land mass of the state is a large peninsula with the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east

All species of sea turtles are listed as threatened or endangered. The leatherback The leatherback turtle is the largest of all living sea turtles and the fourth largest modern reptile behind three crocodilians. It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys. It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell. Instead, its carapace is covered by skin and oily flesh. Dermochelys, Kemp's Ridley, and Hawksbill turtles are critically endangered. The Olive Ridley and green turtles are endangered, and the loggerhead is threatened.[15] The flatback's conservation status is unclear due to a lack of data.

One of the most significant threats now comes from bycatch The highest rates of incidental catch of non-target species is associated with shrimp trawling. In 1997, the FAO documented the estimated bycatch and discard levels from shrimp fisheries around the world. They found discard rates as high as 20 pounds for every pound of shrimp, with a world average of 5.7 pounds for every pound of shrimp due to imprecise fishing methods. Donnelly points to long-lining as a major cause of accidental sea turtle death,[16] There is also black market demand for tortoiseshell for both decoration and supposed health benefits.[17]

Turtles must surface to breathe. Caught in a fisherman's net, they are unable to surface and thus suffocate. In early 2007, almost a thousand sea turtles were killed inadvertently in the Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal (Bangla: বঙ্গোপসাগর, IPA:ˈbɒŋɡopoʃɑːˈgoɽ) is a bay that forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered by India and Sri Lanka to the West, Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal to the North (where the name comes from), and Myanmar and the over the course of a few months after netting.[18]

However, some relatively inexpensive changes to fishing techniques, such as slightly larger hooks and traps from which sea turtles can escape, can dramatically cut the mortality rate.[19][20] Turtle Excluder Devices In particular, sea turtles can be caught when bottom trawling is used by the commercial shrimp fishing industry. In order to catch shrimp, a fine meshed trawl net is needed. This results in large amounts of other marine organisms being also caught as bycatch. When a turtle gets caught or entangled in a trawl net, it becomes trapped and is unable (TEDS) have reduced sea turtle bycatch in shrimp nets by 97 percent. Another danger comes from marine debris Marine debris, also known as marine litter, is human-created waste that has deliberately or accidentally become afloat in a lake, sea, ocean or waterway. Oceanic debris tends to accumulate at the centre of gyres and on coastlines, frequently washing aground, when it is known as beach litter, especially from abandoned fishing nets These nets, often nearly invisible in the dim light, can be left tangled on a rocky reef or drifting in the open sea. They can entangle fish, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, dugongs, crocodiles, seabirds, crabs, and other creatures, including the occasional human diver in which they can become entangled.

Beach development is another area which threatens sea turtles. Since many turtles return to the same beach each time to nest, development can disrupt the cycle. There has been a movement to protect these areas, in some cases by special police. In some areas, such as the east coast of Florida Florida ( /ˈflɒrɪdə/ ) is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States. Much of the land mass of the state is a large peninsula with the Gulf of Mexico to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, conservationists dig up turtle eggs and relocate them to fenced nurseries to protect them from beach traffic.

Since hatchlings find their way to the ocean by crawling towards the brightest horizon, they can become disoriented on developed stretches of coastline. Lighting restrictions can prevent lights from shining on the beach and confusing hatchlings. Turtle-safe lighting uses red or amber LED light, invisible to sea turtles, in place of white light.

Another major threat to sea turtles is black market trade in eggs and meat. This is a problem throughout the world, but especially a concern in the Philippines The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean, India India, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east, India has a coastline of 7,517, Indonesia The Republic of Indonesia (Indonesian: Republik Indonesia), is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia comprises 17,508 islands, and with an estimated population of around 237 million people, it is the world's fourth most populous country, and has the largest Muslim population in the world and the coastal nations of Latin America Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages (i.e., those derived from Latin) – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken.Latin America has an area of approximately (7,880,000 sq mi), or almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface. As of 2008, its population was estimated at more than 569. Estimates reach as high as 35,000 turtles killed a year in Mexico The United Mexican States (Spanish: Estados Unidos Mexicanos ), commonly known as Mexico (English: /ˈmɛksɪkoʊ/) (Spanish: México (help·info) [ˈmexiko]), is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the same number in Nicaragua Nicaragua officially the Republic of Nicaragua (Spanish: República de Nicaragua, pronounced [reˈpuβlika ðe nikaˈɾaɣwa] ( listen)), is a representative democratic republic. It is the largest country in Central America with an area of 130,000 km2, and the second poorest in the Western Hemisphere. The country is bordered by Honduras to the. Conservationists in Mexico and the United States have launched "Don't Eat Sea Turtle" campaigns in order to reduce this trade in sea turtle products. These campaigns have involved figures such as Dorismar Dora Noemí Kerchen, known by her stage name Dorismar , (born March 1975) is a model, actress, television host, and Argentine singer. Working first in Argentina and later in Miami. She was selected to appear on the cover of Playboy, representing The Sexy Ladies of Latin TV, in March 2003. She was a hostess of the Univisión Network, (the largest, Los Tigres del Norte Los Tigres del Norte are a Grammy and Latin Grammy winning norteño-band ensemble, from Rosa Morada, Sinaloa, Mexico. The group was started by Jorge Hernández, his brothers, and his cousins. They began recording after moving to San José, California in the late 1960s, when all the members were still in their teens and Mana Mana is a Japanese musician and fashion designer, famed for his role as a leader and guitarist of the influential visual kei band Malice Mizer. It is said that he is widely considered the figurehead of Japan's Gothic Lolita fashion movement, as he helped popularize it.[citation needed] Moi dix Mois is Mana's current project. Turtles are often consumed during the Catholic holiday, Lent, even though they are reptiles, not fish. Consequently, conservation organizations have written letters to the Pope asking that he declare turtles meat.

A Green Sea Turtle at rest

Climate change may also cause a threat to sea turtles. Since sand temperature at nesting beaches defines the sex of a turtle while developing in the egg, there is concern that rising temperatures may produce too many females. However, more research is needed to understand how climate change might affect sea turtle gender distribution and what other possible threats it may pose.[21]

Fibropapillomatosis disease causes tumors in sea turtles.

Injured sea turtles are sometimes rescued and rehabilitated by professional organizations such as the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, the Marine Mammal Center in Northern California, and the ClearWater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater Florida[22] and the Sea Turtle Inc. organization in South Padre Island, TX.[23] One such turtle, named Nickel for the coin that was found lodged in her throat, lives at the Shedd Aquarium The John G. Shedd Aquarium is an indoor public aquarium in Chicago, Illinois in the United States that opened on May 30, 1930. The aquarium contains over 25,000 fish, and was for some time the largest indoor aquarium in the world with 5,000,000 US gallons of water. The Shedd Aquarium was the first inland aquarium with a permanent saltwater fish in Chicago Chicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with over 2.8 million people is the third largest city in the United States. Located on the southwestern shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago is the third-most densely populated major city in the U.S., and anchor to the world's 26th largest metropolitan area with over 9.5 million people.

In the Caribbean, researchers are having some success in assisting a comeback.[24] In September 2007, Corpus Christi, Texas wildlife officials found 128 Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests on Texas beaches, a record number, including 81 on North Padre Island (Padre Island National Seashore) and 4 on Mustang Island. Wildlife officials released 10,594 Kemp's ridleys hatchlings along the Texas coast this year.

Also in 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service issued a determination that the leatherback, the hawksbill and the Kemp's Ridley populations were endangered while that of green turtles and olive ridleys were threatened.[25]

In Southeast Asia, the Philippines has had several initiatives dealing with the issue of turtle conservation. In 2007, the province of Batangas in the Philippines declared the catching and eating of Pawikans illegal. However, the law seems to have had little effect as Pawikan eggs are still in demand in Batangan markets. In September 2007, several Chinese poachers were apprehended off the Turtle Islands in the country's southernmost province of Tawi-Tawi. The poachers had collected more than a hundred sea turtles, along with 10,000 turtle eggs.[26]

Fragile ecosystems

Sea turtles on a beach in Hawaii.

Sea turtles play key roles in two ecosystem types that are critical to them as well as to humans—oceans and beaches/dunes. In the oceans, for example, sea turtles, especially green sea turtles, are one of very few creatures (manatees are another) that eat the sea grass that grows on the sea floor. Sea grass must be kept short to remain healthy, and beds of healthy sea grass are essential breeding and development areas for many species of fish and other marine life. A decline or loss of sea grass beds would damage these populations, triggering a chain reaction and negatively impact marine and human life.

Beaches and dunes form a fragile ecosystem that depends on vegetation to protect against erosion. Eggs, hatched or unhatched, and hatchlings that fail to make it into the ocean are all nutrient sources for dune vegetation[citation needed]. Every year, sea turtles lay countless eggs on beaches. Along one twenty-mile (32 km) stretch of beach in Florida alone, for example, more than 150,000 pounds of eggs are laid each year.

Taxonomy and evolution

Immature Hawaiian Green turtle in shallow waters

Sea turtles, along with other turtles and tortoises, are part of the Order Testudines.

The seven living species of sea turtles are: flatback, green sea turtle, Hawksbill, Kemp's Ridley, Leatherback, Loggerhead and Olive Ridley.[27] All species except the leatherback are in the family Cheloniidae. The leatherback belongs to the family Dermochelyidae and is its only member.

The species are primarily distinguished by their anatomy: for instance, the prefrontal scales on the head, the number of and shape of scutes on the carapace, and the type of inframarginal scutes on the plastron. The leatherback is the only sea turtle that does not have a hard shell; instead it bears a mosaic of bony plates beneath its leathery skin. It is the largest sea turtle, measuring 6 to 7 feet (1.8 to 2.1 m) in length at maturity, and 3 to 5 feet (0.91 to 1.5 m) in width, weighing up to 1,300 pounds (590 kg). Other species are smaller, being mostly 2 to 4 feet (0.61 to 1.2 m) and proportionally narrower.[28][not in citation given]

Sea turtles constitute a single radiation that became distinct from all other turtles at least 110 million years ago.

From SWOT Report, vol. 1.

See also

Additional reading

References

  1. ^ "Green Sea Turtle". MarineBio.org. 2007-05-21. http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=51. Retrieved on 2008-10-09.
  2. ^ Audubon, Maria R. (1897/1986). Audubon and His Journals: Dover Publications Reprint. New York: Scribner's Sons. pp. 373–375. ISBN 978-0486251448.
  3. ^ Carr, Archie (August 1987). "New Perspectives on the Pelagic Stage of Sea Turtle Development". Conservation Biology (Blackwell Publishing) 1 (2): 103–121. doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.1987.tb00020.x. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0888-8892%28198708%291%3A2%3C103%3ANPOTPS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-C. Retrieved on 2007-02-15.
  4. ^ Reich, Kimberly J.; Karen A. Bjorndal & Alan B. Bolten (2007-09-18). "The ‘lost years’ of green turtles: using stable isotopes to study cryptic lifestages". Biology Letters 6 (in press): 712. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0394. http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/content/k1l8072271716750/. Retrieved on 2007-09-20.
  5. ^ Brynner, Jeanna (2007-09-19). "Sea Turtles' Mystery Hideout Revealed" (in English). LiveScience (Imaginova Corp.). http://www.livescience.com/animals/070919_sea_turtle.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-20.
  6. ^ CITES (2006-06-14). "Appendices" (SHTML). Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna. http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.shtml. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
  7. ^ UNEP-WCMC. "Eretmochelys imbricata". UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species. United Nations Environment Programme - World Conservation Monitoring Centre. http://sea.unep-wcmc.org/isdb/CITES/Taxonomy/tax-species-result.cfm?displaylanguage=eng&Genus=Eretmochelys&Species=imbricata&source=animals&Country=&tabname=all. Retrieved on 2007-02-05.
  8. ^ Schafer, Edward H. (1962). "Eating Turtles in Ancient China". Journal of the American Oriental Society (American Oriental Society) 82 (1): 73–74. doi:10.2307/595986. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-0279%28196201%2F03%2982%3A1%3C73%3AETIAC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-R. Retrieved on 2007-02-16.
  9. ^ Sam Settle, 1995. Marine Turtle Newsletter 68:8-13 [1]
  10. ^ Yahoo.com, Endangered turtle nests found in Texas
  11. ^ Heppel, Selina S.; Larry B. Crowder (June 1996). "Analysis of a Fisheries Model for Harvest of Hawksbill Sea Turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata)". Conservation Biology (Blackwell Publishing) 10 (3): 874–880. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1996.10030874.x. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0888-8892%28199606%2910%3A3%3C874%3AAOAFMF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-3. Retrieved on 2007-02-16.
  12. ^ Strieker, Gary (2001-04-10). "Tortoiseshell ban threatens Japanese tradition" (in english). CNN.com/sci-tech (Cable News Network LP, LLLP.). http://archives.cnn.com/2001/TECH/science/04/10/japan.turtles/. Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
  13. ^ Casson, Lionel (1982). "Periplus Maris Erythraei: Notes on the Text". The Journal of Hellenic Studies (The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies) 102: 204–206. doi:10.2307/631139. http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0075-4269%281982%29102%3C204%3APMENOT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Y. Retrieved on 2007-02-16.
  14. ^ Berrin, Katherine & Larco Museum. The Spirit of Ancient Peru:Treasures from the Museo Arqueológico Rafael Larco Herrera. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1997.
  15. ^ US Fish and Wildlife Services. "Species Profile: Loggerhead sea turtle." 2007. February 22, 2007. [2]
  16. ^ "Turtle conservation: It's now very much a political issue" (in english). News (The Royal Gazette Ltd.). 2007-02-03. http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?sectionId=80&articleId=7d5908e3003001d.
  17. ^ "Atlantic Hawksbill Sea Turtle Fact Sheet". Endangered Species Unit. http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/wildlife/endspec/athafs.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-07.
  18. ^ "Fishermen blamed for turtle deaths in Bay of Bengal" (in english). Yahoo! Science News (Yahoo! Inc.). 2007-02-05. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070205/sc_nm/india_turtles_dc_3. Retrieved on 2007-02-06.
  19. ^ Irene Kinan . 2006. Marine Turtle Newsletter 113:13-14 [3]
  20. ^ "Govt: Long-line fishing won't hurt birds url="http://www.royalgazette.com/siftology.royalgazette/Article/article.jsp?sectionId=60&articleId=7d72411300300c5"".
  21. ^ Hawkes, LA (2009), "Climate change and marine turtles", Endangered Species Research: prepress 2009, doi:10.3354/esr00198
  22. ^ The Marine Mammal Center . "Volunteer Opportunities." 2007. February 22, 2007.[4]
  23. ^ Sea Turtle, Inc[5]
  24. ^ Clarren, Rebecca (2008), "Night Life", Nature Conservancy 58 (4): 32–43
  25. ^ "Sea turtles still endangered, threatened" (in English). Yahoo! News (Yahoo! Inc.). 2007-09-08. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070907/ap_on_sc/caribbean_sea_turtles_1. Retrieved on 2007-09-07.
  26. ^ Adraneda, Katherine (2007-09-12). "WWF urges RP to pursue case vs turtle poachers" (in English). Headlines (The Philippine Star). http://www.philstar.com/index.php?Headlines&p=49&type=2&sec=24&aid=20070911144. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.
  27. ^ The East Pacific subpopulation of the green turtle was previously classified as a separate species, the black turtle, but DNA evidence indicates that it is not evolutionarily distinct from the green turtle.Karl, Stephen H.; Brian W. Bowen (1999). "Evolutionary Significant Units versus Geopolitical Taxonomy: Molecular Systematics of an Endangered Sea Turtle (genus Chelonia)". Conservation Biology (Blackwell Synergy) 13 (5): 990–999. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1999.97352.x. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1523-1739.1999.97352.x. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
  28. ^ "WWF - Marine Turtles". Species Factsheets. World Wide Fund for Nature. 2007-05-04. http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/about_species/species_factsheets/marine_turtles/index.cfm. Retrieved on 2007-09-13.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cheloniidae
Wikispecies has information related to: Chelonioidea

Categories: IUCN Red List endangered species | Marine reptiles | Sea turtles

 

The above information uses material from Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Some facts may not have been fully verified for accuracy. [Disclaimers]
This page was last archived by our server on Sun Jul 12 19:11:48 2009. [ refresh local cache ]
Displaying this page or its contents does not use any Wikimedia Foundation's resources.
The owners of this site proudly support the Wikimedia Foundation.

[Hide]▼
[Hide]▲