Olive ridleys day-nest in Odisha after seven years, but no link to lockdown say experts The eastern Indian state of Odisha is known for seasonally hosting Olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) en masse as they visit the seashore along the Bay of Bengal for mass nesting. This spring, however, heralded a surprise for marine conservationists, who witnessed mass nesting of the species during the …
Turtle trackers: Environmental DNA used to detect rare species Ethan Kessler, a doctoral student at the University of Illinois has been utilising a new scientific technique to detect the presence of rare or elusive turtle species. He and his collaborators are testing the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to detect alligator snapping turtles (Macrochelys temminckii) in the southern Illinois river system. To catch the full …
After 20 years in captivity, Yoshi the loggerhead sea turtle has traveled 37,000 km in 2 years “We did not know all that much, but she crept into everybody’s hearts, and settled down really quickly. “And she had an enormous personality.” The aquarium staff learned a lot about caring for injured turtles from Yoshi, but soon also started getting requests to help more and more …
How conservation dogs are changing how we protect endangered species, remove invasive ones, and detect diseases “Working a detection dog is so much more than holding the end of the leash,” explains Holder. “You need to be able to think on your feet, keep yourself your partner safe, and make educated decisions. You must take into account what you see from your dog and how …
Although turtles and tortoises are commonly associated with being slow or taking things slow, I constantly find myself always being in a rush even though my life is literally centered on these animals. It is a race to move from one task to another in order to complete a day’s work and I rarely take time even to think…but today I stopped in my tracks …
Sea turtles nesting earlier in SC and Southeast as climate change takes hold Leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles have started the nesting season off early. Reports indicate that at least five leatherback nests have already been laid at beaches in South Carolina – weeks early! This phenomenon is likely another sign that warmer seas and sands are becoming a more serious threat to these declining …
Plastic pollution poses threat to African turtle paradise Despite conservation efforts by the oceanic island Príncipe—whose beaches provide crucial nesting sites for green, leatherback, and hawksbill turtles—sea turtles face a barrage of human-induced threats. The most prominent threat includes plastic pollution, where many turtles have been known to ingest (at all life stages) as they often mistake plastic debris for food. To catch the full …
Olive Ridleys start sporadic nesting at Gahiramatha The sporadic nesting of endangered olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacae) has started at Gahiramatha beach, India. Around 20 turtles have laid eggs in the last two days at Nasi- 1 of the islands at the beach, said Forest Range Officer of Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary Debashis Bhoi. Forest personnel are on high alert as more turtles will arrive …
Biologist Grégory Bulté creates 3D printed sex dolls to test mating habits of northern map turtles Bulté and his team used a 3D printer to create two artificial female ‘sex dolls’ to test the reaction from males in the mood for mating. One doll was a little smaller than average, and the other was close to the largest size ever recorded for a female mapping …
