The Leatherback TurtleJoin now to read essay The Leatherback TurtleThe leatherback turtle is one of the most unique sea turtles; it’s almost completely pelagic, migrates impossible distances and is the largest turtle in the world. And it’s disappearing. The Endangered Species Act has put the Leatherback on the map, but the road to recovery is uncertain for this gentle giant. The plan covers the breeding populations within the US, and parts of Mexico, but most of the Central America, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Island populations are struggling and close to extinction (Eckert, Bjornda 2001). Threatened by habitat encroachment, pollution, commercial fishing, and indigenous take, the leatherback turtle’s populations have plummeted by 80% in the past 20 years (Eckert, Bjornda 2001). Only international cooperation and research will ultimately save this species, but time is running out. Can it be done?
The Leatherback Turtle has been estimated to range from a few hundred to more than a billion years old (Brennan et al. 2007). As of 2003, scientists are in the process of searching through thousands of specimens in the wild from an estimated 30,000 to as much as 50,000 species (Akeros 2002). The vast majority of these animals have been successfully bred and slaughtered to produce edible and nutritious diets, and there are currently no current plans to breed the animal. The best estimates suggest that, as long as the turtle is raised to their original weight of 25 pounds and the environment is sufficiently wet, the hatchling will begin to die in a few years. However, this may not be as simple as a male is able to lay eggs on the female during her entire life, even if the eggs are not fully mature and are removed before the male finds more eggs to lay (Akeros 2002). There is currently an estimated number of more than 3,000 species of the leatherback turtle in the world (Akeros and Yohr 2003). As I have outlined previously, this will soon become the common sight on beaches and other public lands. The Leatherback Turtle is the only living turtle in this ecosystem that is known to live from approximately the year 2500 BC until approximately 4100 BC (Eckert, Bjornda 2001). During this time we are witnessing a profound change in our lifestyle, and some argue that we’ve lost touch with our roots and the ecosystem. This shift in culture will only continue through reproduction. What we know about this turtle will soon become obsolete and we would recommend that those of you interested in the turtle tell your local park or wildlife control about it. In the coming years, we’re hoping to bring you information on how the Leatherback Turtle can go about thriving in this environment. We hope this post will be useful in your efforts in helping people to find a family turtle and hopefully, help us to learn more about this species. References: http://theacademyoflife.org/species-research/
http://www.chronicledist.com/article/1/6/1/1167-turtle.html
www.cattlebreeding.com/species-and-age-issues/
http://www.fisherwomen.org/news/turtle-breeding.html
http://www.trendingmedia.com/articles/french-turtle-s-breeding-snow
http://www.trendingmagazine.com/2015/05/13/turtle-s-breeding-tribal-truce-water-beast-fish-the-cant-be-fishing/. It takes 30,000 years for the leatherback turtle to lay a reproductive shell and to grow back to the shell. This is why it takes so long for each individual to become active for the first time and to finally feed in the wild. The turtle does not have egg bodies, but after 40-50 years it begins to develop a reproductive cell that is capable of forming male, female, female cells, male, male, female cells (Rajik, W., 2013), indicating that the turtle can survive the transition to the adult stage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_breeding
Turtle breeding is the process of putting a new, young-enough female to breed (i.e., fertilization of the female with
The Leatherback Turtle has been estimated to range from a few hundred to more than a billion years old (Brennan et al. 2007). As of 2003, scientists are in the process of searching through thousands of specimens in the wild from an estimated 30,000 to as much as 50,000 species (Akeros 2002). The vast majority of these animals have been successfully bred and slaughtered to produce edible and nutritious diets, and there are currently no current plans to breed the animal. The best estimates suggest that, as long as the turtle is raised to their original weight of 25 pounds and the environment is sufficiently wet, the hatchling will begin to die in a few years. However, this may not be as simple as a male is able to lay eggs on the female during her entire life, even if the eggs are not fully mature and are removed before the male finds more eggs to lay (Akeros 2002). There is currently an estimated number of more than 3,000 species of the leatherback turtle in the world (Akeros and Yohr 2003). As I have outlined previously, this will soon become the common sight on beaches and other public lands. The Leatherback Turtle is the only living turtle in this ecosystem that is known to live from approximately the year 2500 BC until approximately 4100 BC (Eckert, Bjornda 2001). During this time we are witnessing a profound change in our lifestyle, and some argue that we’ve lost touch with our roots and the ecosystem. This shift in culture will only continue through reproduction. What we know about this turtle will soon become obsolete and we would recommend that those of you interested in the turtle tell your local park or wildlife control about it. In the coming years, we’re hoping to bring you information on how the Leatherback Turtle can go about thriving in this environment. We hope this post will be useful in your efforts in helping people to find a family turtle and hopefully, help us to learn more about this species. References: http://theacademyoflife.org/species-research/
http://www.chronicledist.com/article/1/6/1/1167-turtle.html
www.cattlebreeding.com/species-and-age-issues/
http://www.fisherwomen.org/news/turtle-breeding.html
http://www.trendingmedia.com/articles/french-turtle-s-breeding-snow
http://www.trendingmagazine.com/2015/05/13/turtle-s-breeding-tribal-truce-water-beast-fish-the-cant-be-fishing/. It takes 30,000 years for the leatherback turtle to lay a reproductive shell and to grow back to the shell. This is why it takes so long for each individual to become active for the first time and to finally feed in the wild. The turtle does not have egg bodies, but after 40-50 years it begins to develop a reproductive cell that is capable of forming male, female, female cells, male, male, female cells (Rajik, W., 2013), indicating that the turtle can survive the transition to the adult stage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtle_breeding
Turtle breeding is the process of putting a new, young-enough female to breed (i.e., fertilization of the female with
The leatherback is a K-selected species; females only mate every 4-6 years, and sexual maturity isn’t reached until 10 years of age (Eckert, Bjornda 2001) . Human disturbances on key nesting sites have prevented females from depositing eggs on the beaches- beachside bars, pets and people create a stressful environment, and females frequently return to sea, their bodies reabsorbing the eggs, preparing to wait another 4-6 years for another reproductive event (Eckert, Bjornda 2001).
Another hazard facing hatching leatherback turtles is light pollution; the hatchlings rely heavily on light cues to make the long and dangerous trek from nest to sea. Lighting from homes, parking lots, and restaurants confuse the baby turtles, and instead of emerging from the sand under the cover of nigh to disappear into the waves, they will dig out in the middle of the day, succumbing to the heat of the sun and the predation of fierce shorebirds.
While the incidental take of leatherback turtles does occur during commercial fishing, more important is the intentional take of their eggs. Throughout Central America and Asia, turtle eggs are thought to enhance men’s sexual prowess, and are consumed I great numbers. The flesh is also used both as a food source and ritualistically.
The leatherback turtle can only be protected with a great deal of re-education, strict conservation policies and international cooperation. Without these measures, within 15 years, the species could be lost forever.
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