Matt Knight

Tracking the desert tortoise with Dave Hansen The state reptile of California and “poster child” for our Mojave Desert is the tortoise. The desert tortoise, weighing in at about 8 to 15 pounds, grows slowly and may live 50 to 80 years. It has roamed our landscape for many thousands of years. Sadly, today the tortoise is a threatened species protected by federal law. In […]

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) seizes 3,300 pig-nosed turtles (Carettochelys insculpta) from smugglers The carettochelys insculpta, commonly known as the pig-nosed turtle, is listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The freshwater reptile is restricted to the Northern Territories of Australia and the southern lowlands of New Guinea. Despite the legal protection, the turtles are in high demand

Giant tortoise believed extinct for 100 years found in Galapagos According to Galapagos Conservancy, the only known specimen of Chelonoidis phantasticus, commonly known as Fernandina Island tortoise, “was collected during the California Academy of Sciences expedition in April 1906”. “While thought to be extinct due to volcanic eruptions in past centuries, there have been anecdotal observations indicating that there may indeed still be a very

David Sommers caught, but there are many more terrapin harvesters still illegally collecting diamondbacks in New Jersey marshes “There are hundreds of places it could occur,” Snellbaker said. “It’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time.” Fines for skirting the ban can be up to $25,000 per day for each violation, but it is determined on a case-by-case basis. The

Bone cancer suggested in 240 million year old Pappochelys rosinae fossil, possible earliest evidence of cancer in amniotic history It may seem strange to find cancer interesting, but a recent study by JAMA Oncology suggests that at least one form of it has existed since the Triassic period. That’s as old as the dinosaurs, and the reason it’s interesting is that it allows scientists to

Green sea turtle spotted off Israeli coast after 10 years Omassi said that he sent the photo of the green sea turtle to the INPA’s Sea Turtle Rescue Center, which keeps a database of photos that allows individual turtles to be identified by the unique characteristics of their shells. The center confirmed that Shani has never been spotted in this area before. The green sea

Cayman Turtle Centre, long controversial, says new study promotes its idea of sea turtle conservation that includes farming (See also this article) It’s not hard to agree with the fact that while sea turtle conservation is a big deal, changing the minds of local communities and cultures who consume the meat of these animals is not so clear cut. Archie Carr, a legend in the

Study released claims 5 of 7 sea turtle species recovering thanks to Endangered Species Act See original study here. Published this morning in the journal PLOS ONE, the study involved Abel Valdivia with the Center for Biological Diversity and other researchers analyzing annual population data for the 62 marine mammal species and sea turtle species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The researchers then focused

In the Amazon, Podocnemis expansa nests along the Juruá River successfully protected by local communities In the face of its rapid population decline, community residents along the middle section of the Juruá river organized back in 1977 and began protecting three turtle-nesting beaches (known as tabuleiros) during the breeding season. Today, 18 beaches along a 2,000-kilometer stretch of river are monitored 24 hours per day