World Turtle News

Turtle is legendary in Vietnam, but it’s on the verge of extinction The Yangtze soft-shell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) is likely the most endangered turtle species on the face of the earth, with only two left in existence, which reside in captivity at Suzhou Zoo in China. The third turtle which lived in Hoan Kiem Lake, caused great media attention as it was revered by the […]

Scientists figure out why female turtles are born at higher temperatures It has been long been accepted that the sex of a turtle is determined before it is hatched, a process known as temperature sex determination. In most cases, a viable ova incubated at higher temperatures results in mostly females, while dropping the temperature only a couple degrees will produce males. In 1980 scientists were

Springbank Dam repair would kill revived turtle turn Opponents of fixing London’s broken Thames River dam have an unlikely new ally. The busted Springbank Dam has led to a resurgence of the threatened spiny softshell turtle along the Thames. In fact, the turtles, native to Southwestern Ontario, would be one step closer to extinction if the dam were repaired, said Scott Gillingwater, a species-at-risk biologist

TSA Teams in India and Madagascar Return Tortoises Home Confiscated endangered Malagasy tortoises were flown from Mumbai back to Madagascar in April with the support of a network of conservation organizations led by the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA). The customs and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) at Mumbai International Airport seized 146 ploughshare (Astrochelys yniphora) and radiated (A. radiata) Tortoises on March 21. The tortoises

Blanding’s Turtle Make Over This incredible story is a good reason to keep your eyes on the road this season. Only last week, a Blandings Turtle in Fayette County was run over by a car, resulting in major damage to the carapace. The Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project was notified and rescued the turtle, with the plan to attempt to repair the seemingly fatal injuries.

Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Supports Research To Help Saving the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi’s species conservation fund gave the University of Western Sydney PhD student a grant for her work to help save the Bellinger River Snapping Turtle. She was given $16,000 to continue her work on the critically endangered Myuchelys georgesi. The grant will help her to

BLM looking for final approval of private lands trade to complete Red Cliffs Desert “Tortoise” Reserve The endangered Desert Tortoise is native to California and Nevada as well as portions of Utah and Arizona; however, despite its seemingly wide range of habitat, this species has declined dramtically to where there are an estimated 100,000 animals left in the wild. One crucial habitat for this tortoise

Turtle nesting season begins Turtle nesting season begins Sunday and experts are hoping the four-year trend of high nesting continues. “We are hoping for the best,” she said. “Last year was a good season and we are hoping for another one.” After almost a decade of a low count of nests, females have been coming ashore in higher numbers since 2012. But Eve Haverfield, president

N.J. tries to keep terrapins from becoming road kill, pets or soup On a gray, unseasonably chilly day last week, two turtle hatchlings emerged from their winter hibernation inside a hole three inches beneath the sand at the Jersey Shore. The diamondback terrapins, a unique turtle that lives in brackish waters along the coast and Delaware Bay, would soon taste freedom for the first time.