Sea Turtles of NY Flashcards
(36 cards)
What is the most endangered species of sea turtle?
Kemps Ridley
(Hawksbill is 2nd)
How many sea turtle species are on the endangered species list?
All 7
(What are the 7?)
What sea turtle species can be found in NY?
4
- Loggerhead
- Ridley
- Green
- Leatherback
Hybrid species have also been found in NY
What are the ICUN listings of the 4 sea turtle species found in NY?
- Leatherback: vulnerale
- Greens: endangered
- Loggerheads: vulnerable
- Kemp’s: critically endangered
What are the components of the exoskeleton of a sea turtle?
- Carapace (shell)
- Plastron
- Scutes
What are some characteristics of leatherback sea turtles?
- Largest sea turtle species in the world
- No relation to the other 6 species of sea turtle
- 4.5-5.5 feet long
- 2,000 Ibs
- Unknown lifespan
Why are leatherbacks especially vulnerable to bycatch / fishing gear entanglements?
Leatherbacks lack a hard shell, any fishing gear that they might get entangled in goes straight through their skin.
What region do leatherbacks encompass?
Occur in Atlantic Pacific and Indian Oceans
What is unique to sea turtle nesting?
Turtle species have unique crawls. You can typically identify turtle species by the crawl marks left in the sand.
Describe sea turtle parental investment
The only parental investment that sea turtles provide their young is where they choose to lay their eggs.
Describe leatherback nesting practices
- Females nest every 2-3 years
- Will nest 8-12 times during a season laying 100 eggs each time
- Incubation period = 60 days
- Nesting occurs in the Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and southeast Florida
- Largest nesting groups are found on northern South America, New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, West Africa, Solomon Islands, Mexico, and Costa Rica
Describe the diet of leatherback sea turtles
- Lack crushing chewing plates
- Adapted for a diet of soft-bodied open ocean prey (jellyfish)
(Do other species of sea turtle eat jellyfish?)
What are some of the biggest threats to leatherback sea turtles?
- Bycatch in fishing gear
- Vessel strikes
- Entanglements
Why are these there of the biggest threats that this species faces?
What are some characteristics of green sea turtles?
- Largest of all hard shell species
- 300 - 350 Ibs
- Unknown lifespan
- 3-4 feet long
- Starburst pattern on shell is unique to each turtle
What region do green sea turtles encompass?
- Located in more than 140 countries
- Adults and juveniles = found nearshore as well as bays, lagoons, and reefs
- Adults migrate from foraging grounds to nesting beaches
- Found in U.S Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Texas, Massachusetts, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico
Describe green sea turtle’s nesting practices
- Nest in 80 countries
- Reach sexual maturity at 25 to 35 years (some as old as 40)
- Reproductive lifespan = 38 years
- Adult males can breed every year
- Adult females breed every 2 to 5 years
- Females lay 100 eggs per nesting season every 2 weeks
- 60 day incubation period
Describe the diet of green sea turtles
- Born omnivores
- Adults are herbivores
- Diet consists mostly of seagrass and algae
How did green sea turtles get their names?
Their diet makes their fat and cartilage green in color
What are some of the biggest threats to green sea turtles?
- Cold stunning
- Light pollution
- Bycatch in fishing gear
- Ingestion of marine debris
- Disease
What is Fibropapilloma and how does it affect green sea turtles?
- HPV / herpes-like virus
- Grows on face and flippers
- Mainly affects greens but other species can get it
- Virus comes from leeches
- Contagious to other species
- Can go into remission
- Only occurs due to human interaction
- Mainly an issue down south / warm climates
What are some characteristics of loggerheads?
- Most abundant species found in U.S Atlantic coastal waters
- 250 Ibs
- Unknown lifespan
- 3 feet long
- Powerful jaws
What region do loggerheads encompass?
- Temperate and tropical regions of Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans
- Most abundant in Atlantic oceans
- Make extensive migrations between foraging areas and nesting beaches
Describe loggerhead nesting practices
- Majority of nesting occurs in western parts of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans
- 88% of population nests in Asia (Oman), U.S (Florida) an Australia
Describe the diet of loggerhead sea turtles
- Carnivores (juveniles will occasionally consume plant material)
- Consume bottom dwelling crusteceans (sea urchin, horseshoe crab, mollusks etc.)
