Frankenturtles Could Help Save Sea Turtles
Professor David Kaplan is doing the unthinkable. He and his graduate student Bianca Santos came up with an unusual idea to provide insight on the reasons why so many sea turtles perish in the Chesapeake Bay. The plan? To use turtle carcasses to track the effects of various factors which play into turtle mortality. Tragically, the death toll is approximately 200 turtles per year, all of which are discovered washed up on the beaches. Kaplan believes the discovery of these victims only scratches the surface of the real number of turtles killed each year. Two sea turtle carcasses from the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach were used in this study and both of them were victims of a boat strike. The remains were fitted with radio trackers as well as flotation devices and then sent out to sea. They are expected to last about 10 days, and hopefully will provide valuable information on the effects of currents and ideas for preventing accidental catches as well as other valuable data.
Turtle News From Around the World
Conservation
Sea turtle release: video
Study on box turtles using radio-transmitters
Another sea turtle saved just in time
Crime & Punishment
Turtles siezed from a scrap dealer
Ecology
New rules regarding beach debris
Releasing pet turtles does more harm than good
Education
Learn about box turtles from the DNR
Did You Know…
Hermanns tortoise are tuned to a calorie-deficent diet. Meaning they have to consume large amounts in the wild to obation energy. This instinct persists in captivity also.
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Photo from marinebio.
