tortoise news

Bum-breathing turtle’s stress levels set to be monitored The White-throated mud turtle, Elseya albagula, is a little-known species native to Queensland, Australia; however, it recently made the news after scientists discovered it had a unique ability to breathe through its bum, giving it the nickname of “the bum-breathing turtle”. A population of these turtle resides in the catchment areas of the proposed Urannah Dam. Researcher […]

Sea turtles not being sucked into Florida’s Power & Light plant At Florida Power & Light, our sea turtle conservation program has been helping researchers study and protect these special animals for 40 years. Almost every day, sea turtles enter the intake pipes that run from the ocean to a canal outside our St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant, where they can be retrieved and examined

Chelonia mydas has 900gram tumor removed Found off the coast of the Florida Keys, Chica was diagnosed with fibropapilloma, a common disease that causes tumors to grow on the soft tissue of turtles. A local resident spotted Chica, who had a massive tumor eclipsing the right side of her face along with smaller growths on her eyes and flippers, and called the Turtle Hospital in

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