Sea turtles

The effect on marine life of such widespread pollution by polymers is significant. Sea turtles, for example, may mistake plastic pellets for food. 

Clark, D.R., Jr. and A.J. Krynitsky. 1980. Organochlorine residues in eggs of loggerhead and green sea turtles nesting at Merritt Island, Florida — July and August 1976. Pestic. Monitor. Jour. 14 7-10. 

In loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta), PCB concentrations in the chorioallantoic membrane correlate closely with whole-egg PCB concentrations (Cobb and Wood 1997). The authors recommend the use of chorioallantoic membrane tissues as a nonlethal methodology for predicting PCB concentrations in sea turtle hatchlings. 

Cobb, G.P. and P.D. Wood. 1997. PCB concentrations in eggs and chorioallantoic membranes of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) from the Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. Chemosphere 34 539-549. 

FIGURE 4.5 Sea turtle orientation, (a) Bird eye s view of apparatus to test whether sea turtles discriminate sea water samples from different locations. Sea water flows from water inlet toward the standpipe (arrows). The turtle is placed near the standpipe. Phototransistors record when the animals move into different compartments. The water washes of sand come from Padre Island (P) and Galveston (G), and unscented water in two compartments serves as control (C). (b) Turtles spent more time in water extract of sand from Padre Island than in that from Galveston. (From Grassman etal., 1984.)... 

Grassman, M. and Owens, D. (1987). Chemosensory imprinting in juvenile green sea turtles, Chelonia mydas. Animal Behaviour 35,929-931. 

Tauber, G. (1992). A dubious battle to save the Kemp s Ridley sea turtle. Science 256,614-616. 

Some reptiles have been hunted to the point of extinction for their meat, skin, and carapaces. The seven species of sea turtle are caught both at sea and on land, where they must return to lay their eggs. 

Figure 6.17 This green sea turtle ( Chelonia mydas) is one of the species that has been hunted almost to extinction for its meat and its shell.

Turde or sea turtle oil is taken from the genitalia and muscle tissue of large sea turtles. It is used in cosmetics, soap, and skin cream. 

Rethinking the Ozone Problem in Urban and Regional Air Pollution (1991) Decline of the Sea Turtles (1990)... 

In the sea, turtles can stay under water for a short period of time, but must surface regularly to breath. 

Only vertebrates that spend the majority of their lives on the coast are classified as coastal residents. The beach and intertidal zones are home to very few reptiles for example, although all sea turtles visit shorelines to lay their eggs, they do not live there. The only full-time coastal reptile is the marine iguana. Many birds are true residents, spending their lives wading in shoreline waters in search of food, while thousands of others occasionally visit or feed along the intertidal... 

Without realizing it, boaters churn waters and add petroleum compounds to them. Campers move into areas once inhabited by wild animals. Waders stir up sediment, step on underground burrows, and disturb breeding sites. Refuse from human activity means that birds get tangled in plastic lines and sea turtles ingest plastic bags, mistaking them for jellyfish. 

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