Sea turtles facing extinction

Photo Credit Morris, 2012

                               

            Throwing a soda bottle out the window, tossing an empty bag aside on a mid-morning stroll actions that both mean nothing at the time; you're just getting rid of garbage you don't want to carry. We've all done it before but not many of us think further into the future at what those simple actions will lead to. Before learning about sea turtles I wouldn't have thought twice about it but there are serious consequences for these careless acts.

            When it comes to sea turtles pollution is a serious problem for them as a species especially plastics that make their way into our oceans. Sea turtle often ingest these plastics mistaking them for food sources such as jellyfish, which often get mistaken for plastic bags floating in the water. When plastics such as this get digested there are chemicals released inside the turtle that produce gases giving turtles a symptom termed "bubble-butts" because they float (Carr, 2011) This side effect is often lethal to the sea turtles because they're rear ends float and they suffocate not being able to reach the surface (Carr, 2011).

            Plastics and chemicals aren't the only new problems sea turtles have to face, there are several man-made factors influencing their lives and making it a struggle. A major problem is the rise of coastal developments along beaches where sea turtles nest. There are a multitude of side effects from these establishments; one being the artificial light that is overcast onto the beach induces “false crawls” for the female turtle and they often don't nest on these beaches and choose less optimum places to nest (Magnuson, 1990). These lights also disorient hatchlings as they try to make their way to the sea, they don't see well on land and look for the horizon lights of the sea and when the artificial lights are brighter than the sea lights they sometimes crawl inward and get into traffic (Magnuson, 1990) The influx of people to the coastal areas also increases the amount of activity on the beach both during the day and during the night. Female sea turtles are very particular about where they nest and the conditions they need to have in order to do so. These include a completely quiet, dark place where they don't feel threatened or in danger (Carr, 2011). Humans on the beach at night don't allow the female sea turtle to feel safe so they retreat back to another beach to nest. Another consequence of humans living along the coast is the occurrence of beach furniture left behind by them (Carr, 2011). These cause unnatural obstacles for both female turtles trying to nest as well as the hatchlings trying to journey to sea and can even cause strangulation or predation to occur.

            Along with humans come they're domesticated pets like dogs and cats; these animals often roam free along the coast and become predators to sea turtles. They often wander along the coast during the night and come across a nesting female either in the process or making her way to a nesting spot. The presence of the dog, for example, will either make her retreat back or get attacked (Carr, 2011). With the success of finding the turtle the animal will return to that beach in hopes of finding another turtle and thus the beach is no longer a viable nesting ground for that specific turtle. The scent of trash left behind by humans during their beach lounging during the day invites creatures like raccoons, which aren’t natural predators of sea turtles, to the beach in search of food. Like with domesticated animals the raccoons will often find the turtles and continue coming back (Carr, 2011).

            Humans are a big problem when it comes to the sea turtles demise, but the good news is that human activities can be monitored and resolved. There’s no easy or quick fix for this problem but there is a slight chance of hope because the problem isn’t of natural causes. If the extinction of sea turtles was of natural causes due to say global climate change there would be nothing us humans could do for them. Thankfully there are already conservationists working to get laws enforced and countless turtle hospitals taking in sick turtles.

Visit the following links to learn more about sea turtle conservation and sea turtle hospitals.        

                                          Conservation Efforts         Turtle Hospital

 

 

Carr, A. (2011). Information about sea turtles, their habitats, and threats to survival. Retrieved from http://www.conserveturtles.org/
 

Magnuson, J. (1990). Decline of sea turtles. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press.

Morris, H. (2012, March 13). Sea turtle hatchling. Retrieved from http://calibermag.org/articles/should-animal-captivity-be-allowed/sea-turtle-hatchling/\