Michaela Wiersema

Funding Provided to Assist in Sea Turtle Conservation Efforts Lepidochelys kempii, the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle, is the most endangered sea turtle on the face of the earth, with the IUCN listing it as critically endangered. Recently, $220,162 was gifted in the form of funding to Dr. Christopher Marshall, associate professor of marine biology on the Galveston campus, in order that he could continue tagging […]

Two Turtles Rescued From an Otherwise Sickening Fate Had it not been for two watchful Florida residents, two turtles would have come to an unfortunate end in the Miami River. It was just an ordinary day at the river for Peter and Michael Oakes, but their experience was one they would never forget. The two friends doscovered two turtles that apparently had been chained together

Teenagers Rescue Sea Turtle in a Heroic Act Aaron Titshaw and Will Mercer, just a couple of teenagers enjoying another sunny day on the waters near Carrabelle, Florida. What would happen to them next is something they would never expect on such an ordinary day. Little did they know, a sea turtle just yards away was on its way to a slow and painful death;

New Study on Sea Turtle Microbiomes Sparks Interest Sea turtles are highly sensitive to the enviroment, which causes frequent fatalities when their habitat is disturbed. A new study is set to begin which will compare microbiomes between captive and wild populations of sea turtles. Headed by Professor Aubrey Tauer of City University of New York, LaGuardia Community College, the research will involve perfecting storage methods

Disheartening News Surrounds the Seychelles Friday marked a distressing event for the island of Curieuse in the Seychelles. Twenty-five hatchling giant tortoises from Curieuse were discovered to have been stolen from the island. This is disheartening news indeed, as there were orginally 28 hatchlings that were being kept in pens near the houses of the rangers. Allen Cedras, an officer of the Seychelles National Park

Unexplained Sea Turtle Fatalities in Australia Sea Turtles have been successfully nesting on Raine Island near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for years; however, this is no longer the case. Recently the hatch rate of these turtles has dropped to below 30%, a shocking contrast to the island’s previous success. Researchers are searching to determine an answer to this mysterious issue. Initially, floodwaters were thought to

Sea Turtle Herpes Virus a Concerning Issue Those terrible looking growths on the sea turtle’s body are actually tumors known as fibropapillomatosis. They are caused by a herpes virus that only affects turtles, and scientists are searching for answers on the cause of this dehabilitating disease. The tumors which affect the turtles cause them to be more susceptible to pathogens which further increase the fatality

Ontario Does its Part to Conserve Native Species A clutch of Chelydra serpentina nearly met their end last fall had it not been for the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre (OTCC). The eggs were laid on a Seneca’s King College campus bridge; however, the bridge was scheduled to be demolished, which would have meant certain death for the hatchlings. The OTCC collected the eggs for artificial

Marines Clash With Desert Tortoises In Twentynine Palms, CA, in the middle of the Mojave Desert, marines from the U.S. Marine Corps undergo advanced combat training, while threatened Gopherus agassizzii meander along the sidelines; in fact, Desert Tortoises are native to the area and the U.S. Marine Corps runs an on-base hatchery to assist in conserving the species. However, tensions have risen over the the