Turtles Might Play a Key Role in Climate Change
Studies on the migration and genetics of hawksbill, loggerhead and green turtles show that they might play a key role in climate change, according to the Emirates Wildlife Society-World Wildlife Fund. With rising temperature they are seeking insight on their behaviour in warm seas. “In the first phase of the project, they have found that turtles are diving to deeper parts of the Gulf during summer to seek refuge from the heat in the shallow waters that they usually inhabit.”
Turtle News From Around the World
Conservation
Pressure mounts against proposed Ballina shark nets
Blog
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Ecology
Petition Filed to Ban Commercial Harvest of Wild Turtles in Louisiana
Clean up oil spill before turtles lay eggs in Australia
Scientists study species of turtles presumed to be abundant
Species Facts…
Leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is found primarily in the open ocean. They follow their jellyfish prey throughout the day, resulting in turtles preferring deeper water in the daytime, and shallower water at night (when the jellyfish rise up the water column). Their favored breeding beaches are mainland sites facing deep water, and they seem to avoid those sites protected by coral reefs
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Photo from Paul Velasco / EWS-WWF.
