Green sea turtle population discovered in a river in Southern California
Between 30 and 100 turtles were discovered in the 3-mile stretch of the San Gabriel River in Long Beach. The river is a mix of salt and fresh water, and the area is equipped with two power plants on each side of the river that suck in cold ocean water to cool their generating systems and end up heating the water resulting in a warm outflow of water in the river and the place has plenty of food. These turtles might actually like this environment. A citizen science project has been set up to log the number and size of turtles seen in the river. “The data will establish a baseline for this population so researchers will know if and when their numbers start to drop”. Yet, this urban environment can be dangerous for turtles and one has already been found wrapped up in knotty rope and fishing line. Despite the dangers posed by trash, speeding boats and the occasional poacher, these animals seem to be doing well.
Turtle News From Around the World
Education
The trend of buying turtle on impulse after watching the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie comes back in UK.
Conservation
The Bellinger River Snapping Turtle (Myuchelys georgesi) case in Eastern Australia bring the species close to the brink with more than 300 dead turtles found as of today.
IUCN organized a two-day regional symposium to discuss sea turtles conservation effort.
The five remaining Kemp’s ridley sea turtles were released into the Gulf of Mexico after being transported on Dec.15 from the New England Aquarium to Audubon for treatment by the Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program.
A 155-pound loggerhead turtle was released Tuesday to sea.
A gopher tortoise was returned to his home at Koreshan State Park on Tuesday after being treated for at the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife.
Crime and Punishment
Drug addict was caught after stealing and selling a £300 tortoise to fund his addiction.
5 passengers were arrested by immigration authorities in Trichy, India after trying to smuggle 492 spotted black terrapin pond tortoises (Geoclemmys hamiltonii) to Bangkok, Thailand.
Did You Know…
Pelodiscus sinensis is able to excrete urea from its mouth. A small amount of urea is evacuated by the cloaca, like other turtles, but most of it is excreted through the mouth (50 times more than through the cloaca).
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Photo from Sanden Totten Southern California Public Radio/KPCC
