World Turtle News

Desert Tortoises Gone Captive In 1922, the biologist Edmund Carroll Jaeger, a careful chronicler of the life of the Mojave Desert, described desert tortoises as �excellent pets.� They have a �certain nobility of form,� he observed in Denizens of the Desert. �Nature has withheld from them the gift of expression,� Jaeger wrote, �but they may speak to us just the same, teaching us simplicity, humility […]

Dundas Turtle Watch Dedicated To Preventing Roadkills And Predation The Dundas Turtle Watch has been patrolling the roadways of Dundas for years, with the goal of reducing roadkill fatalities as well as predation incidents. The group of approximately 50 volunteers faithfully walks a set of three distinct routes, scanning the roadways for turtles that have wandered out their habitats and into dangerous territory. Working in

Smithsonian’s National Zoo Celebrates Monumental Step Forward In Conservation The Smithsonian’s National Zoo has a success to be proud of. After ten dedicated years of research and husbandry, two Cuora bourreti finally emerged from painstakingly incubated eggs. Lauren Augustine, the manager of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan studbook for the species said that after years of infertile eggs and premature fatalities,

TheTurtleRoom Brings Awareness To Our Future Young Conservationists Winding Trails Summer Day Camp attendees recently had a once in a lifetime opportunity to interact with theTurtleRoom and learn about conservation. Partnering with National Geographic’s Crittercam, theTurtleRoom along with volunteers captured and mounted a camera on a Chelydra serpentina. This is part of a research project to further understand their native habitat. This species is threatened

Riversleigh Fossil Museum uncovers 24 million year old giant horned turtle (Meiolania platyceps) 14 years ago, the fossil was found but unidentified, but now it’s drawing attention from the scientific community. Alan Rackham, the museum’s director, says it was discovered in the Pacific Islands and will travel temporarily to the University of New South Wales for further study. The video of a lost and found

Lab-engineered Chelonia mydas Skin to Provide Vital Insight on Fatal Diseases A laboratory recently engineered the first of it’s kind- the skin of a Chelonia mydas. Using tumor cells and turtle skin, they were able to design the skin and grow ChHV5, which causes fibropapillomatosis in sea turtles. This deadly disease results in massive tumors which without specialized treatment, prove fatal to these animals. This

Bristol Zoo hatches a pair of Cuora bourreti Two of the rarest breed of turtle on the planet have been born at a Bristol zoo. The duo of tiny Bourret’s Vietnamese box turtles hatched at Bristol Zoo Gardens after 12 weeks in an incubator with the temperature set at 26C. The hatchlings are currently the size of a small matchbox but could live to be

Data on Astrochelys yniphora Trade Reveals Critically Unsustainable Poaching Levels Astrochelys yniphora is unarguably one of the most endangered and sought-after chelonians on the planet. Unfortunately this is due to the illegal trade of these magnificent animals, and the species is on the path to extinction if increased efforts are not made to conserve them. The internet has proved to be a major venue for