Steve Enders

Sea Turtle nesting seasons wraps up on US beaches As nesting season wraps up on US beaches, we have a few more sea turtles stories in the “Conservation” section. While some nests are still incubating around the US, as November is ushered in, some seasonal laws change allowing more traffic onto the beaches. Other stories today include a women arrested in India with 123 endangered […]

New subspecies of Galapagos Giant Tortoise found. Ateam of scientists believes they have found a second subspecies of the Galapagos Giant Tortoise living on Santa Cruz Island. A new study published in the PLoS ONE journal reveals that the two populations on the island are more distinct than previously thought. The genetics of the subspecies has been studied, questioned, argued over, and re-arranged countless times

Flood cleanup begins in South Carolina Flooding rains in South Carolina have caused plenty of damage, flooding many inland areas as well as eroding beaches where many sea turtle nests were incubating. Among the places impacted by flooding was the TSA’s Turtle Survival Center. As a result, our friends need help “bailing out” the TSC. You can donate specifically to this cause. Alternatively, if you

Madagascar customs seizes more than 700 tortoises Customs officials in Madagascar discovered 771 tortoises that were just about to be smuggled out of the country, heading for Malaysia. Most were either Radiated Tortoises (Astrochelys radiata) and Ploughshare Tortoises (Astrochelys yniphora), both highly endangered species. Once again, our friends at the Turtle Survival Alliance are responding to this event and are caring for the animals at

Madagascar Big-Headed Turtles hatch at Houston Zoo These little Erymnochelys madagascariensis hatchlings were discovered in their habitat nearly a month ago and their mother was found to by carrying approximately 20 more eggs. Successes with this species in captivity are few and far between. Congratulations, Houston Zoo! This species, like every chelonian in Madagascar, is highly endangered and in need of conservation both in-situ and

All good news today While it isn’t a busy news day, all we have today is good news. The Brevard Zoo is working hard to protect the native DBT populations and Toronto Zoo hatched a threatened Blanding’s Turtle. In sea turtles, Little Cayman Island (human population under 100) set a record for nests, the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies is having success with Kemp’s Ridley

Jekyll Island sets nest record 2015 has seen numerous American beaches set nesting records, the latest being Jekyll Island, Georgia. This rare September nest was number 160 on the year for Jekyll Island. Making the occasion even more momentous was the type of sea turtle which laid the nest – Chelonia mydas, the Green Sea Turtle. This is the first nest laid by a Green

Scientists discover probable clues in turtle evolution Researchers believe they have discovered the earliest known branch of the “turtle tree of life” in South Africa, Eunotosaurus africanus. They believe that despite being shell-less, the extremely wide ribs and circular torso place this reptile along the evolutionary chain leading to the origin of turtles. To quote from this article: “One of the study’s key findings is