Who Really Owns the Beach? The Competition Between Sea Turtles and the Coast Renee C. Cohen

Who Really Owns the Beach? The Competition Between Sea Turtles and the Coast Renee C. Cohen

Some Common Questions Microsoft Word Document This is an outline of the speaker s notes in Word What are some common biological facts? What s the difference between a terrestrial turtle and a sea turtle? How are they in competition with the coast? What is being done to protect them?

Amphibians or Reptiles? In the class Reptilia Ectothermic (cold-blooded) vertebrates Left land and returned to the sea Have scaly skin and breathe air with lungs Have a three-chambered heart Lay eggs

What Are Some Other Physical Aspects? Shells consist of an upper (carapace) and lower part (plastron) Have hard scales or scutes which determine the type of species No teeth, but modified jaws or beaks Do not have visible ears, but skin covered eardrums Have excellent hearing Near-sited under water

Herbivores, Omnivores, or Carnivores? Some turtles are herbivores, eating seaweed and sea grasses Young green turtles are omnivores, but as they grow, they become herbivores Hawksbill and loggerheads are carnivores. They eat squid, fish, shrimp, and jellyfish Cleave, Andrew. Giants of the Sea: Creatures of Fascination. Connecticut: Longmeadow Press, 1993

Carnivore Vs. Herbivore Loggerhead Leatherback

What are the Adaptations for Eating? Loggerhead and ridley s jaws are adapted for crushing and grinding as carnivores Leatherbacks and other herbivores have very delicate scissors- like jaws Green and black turtles have serrated jaws for eating plants Hawksbills have acute heads and jaws that meet at an acute angle for eating animals

Sea Turtles Vs. Terrestrial Turtles Sea turtles are larger than terrestrial turtles and have streamlined bodies Skulls are high-roofed, not flat-roofed Have salt glands Swim by flying with their flippers while most other turtles paddle with their feet Cannot put their heads or flippers back into their shell A sea turtle swims with powerful wing-like beats of its front flippers Ernst, Carl and Roger Barbour. Turtles of the World. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian, Institution Press, 1989.

Physical Adaptation for Water Flying with front flippers

Where Do Sea Turtles Live? In warm and temperate seas throughout the world Sea turtles are common on the Atlantic coast In shallow, coastal waters, bays, lagoons, and estuaries, some open sea Juveniles of some species may be found in bays and estuaries, as well as at sea

How Many Species of Sea Turtles? There are 8 species of sea turtles: Green Loggerhead Leatherback Hawksbill Olive ripley Kemp s ripley Black Flatback Loggerhead Sea Turtles.mht

Species of Sea Turtles

What Is Their Distinguishing Feature?. Female turtles method of laying eggs and their nesting behavior. Bjorndal, Karen (ed). Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles. Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, D.C, 1995.

Complicating Factors for Sea Turtle Survival on Land Adherence to ancestral habit of laying eggs in holes in the ground draws them to land Their large size requires large shift in foraging requirements from hatchling to maturity Awkward and vulnerable on land because of their body characteristics Bjorndal, Karen (ed). Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles. Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, D.C, 1995.

How are Sea Turtles in Competition with the Coast? Nesting is the sea turtle s only link to the beach Human influence on the coast can easily effect nesting behavior Brower, Kenneth. Realms of the Sea. National Geographic Society: Washington, D.C, 1991

What Species Is Most Affected? Loggerhead turtles are most affected and are most common in the United States coastal waters National Research Council. Decline of the Sea Turtles. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1990.

Some Direct Human-Related Factors Humans altering light may represent the time of day Presence of trash on the beach Noise and activity of people on the beach Beach development makes nesting areas scarce

Some Indirect Human-Related Factors Beach nourishment and armoring reduce the survival of eggs and hatchlings on beaches Erosion can result in loss of sustainable nesting habitat on nesting beaches Beaches for nesting can be affected by tides The quality of sand can affect the nesting habitat National Research Council. Decline of the Sea Turtles. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1990.

What are the Most Effective Ways to Protect Turtles? 1. Reduce artificial lighting 2. Use low pressure sodium vapor lights

How Do Sea Turtles Avoid Predators? Come ashore at night when fewer predators Their shell Their large size Bjorndal, Karen (ed). Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles. Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, D.C, 1995.

What are the Nesting Patterns? Most nest during the warmest months of the year Return to the same nesting beach each year Some species will visit more than one nesting beach in a season Most species usually come ashore at night, alone, most often during high tide Crawl above high tide line and with front flippers dig out a body pit Using hind flippers, she digs an egg cavity and covers eggs with sand

Loggerhead Nesting Distribution

How Do Nests Help in the Identification of the Species? The type of mound left by the nesting female and the flipper tracks in the sand

Some Factors of the Nest That Can Affect Hatchling Birth Moisture content of nest Incubation temperature Location from the water National Research Council. Decline of the Sea Turtles. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1990.

Some Factors of the Nesting Behavior That Can Be Affected Hatchling success Digging behavior Length of time spent at the nest National Research Council. Decline of the Sea Turtles. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1990

How Do Hatchlings Protect Themselves After Birth? Spend first few years in the ocean before moving to the coast In open water dive straight down when hear birds or planes overhead A continuous "swim frenzy" occurs for 24 to 48 hours moving turtle to deeper, less vulnerable water Emerge usually at night Sea Turtles.mht

How are Nests Protected on the Coast Naturally? Nest dug 15 inches deep under the sand as urn-shaped holes Eggs 15 inches deeper Placed at or near high tide Ernst, Carl and Roger Barbour. Turtles of the World. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian, National Institution Press, 1989.

How Can Humans Protect Nests? Place screens over them Relocate to safer non-erosion zones Control the harvest artificially

What is Their Status Today? Common Name Scientific Name ESA Status Critical Habitat Green Chelonia mydas Endangered/ Designated Threatened Hawksbill Eretmochelys imbricata Endangered Designated Kemp s Ridley Lepidochelys kempii Endangered Leatherback Dermochelys coriacea Endangered Designated Loggerhead Caretta caretta Threatened Olive Ridley Lepidochelys olivacea Endangered/ Threatened Office of Protected Resources. NOAA Fisheries. National Marine Fisheries Service. Sea Turtle

What Policies or Organizations are Protecting Turtles? National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) (sea jurisdiction) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) (land jurisdiction) Environmental Protection Agency Endangered Species Act of 1973 State laws Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

What Are Some Goals For Protecting Turtles? Enforce laws and agreements Decrease turtle deaths with Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) and other regulations on fisheries Establish parks and refuges Increase public awareness and education Eliminate human- induced disturbances Encourage continuous research and monitoring of the habitats

References Brower, Kenneth. Realms of the Sea. National Geographic Society: Washington, D.C, 1991. Bjorndal, Karen (ed.). Biology and Conservation of Sea Turtles. Smithsonian Institution Press: Washington, D.C, 1995. Cleave, Andrew. Giants of the Sea: Creatures of Fascination. Connecticut: Longmeadow Press, 1993.

More References Ernst, Carl and Roger Barbour. Turtles of the World. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian, Institution Press, 1989. National Research Council. Decline of the Sea Turtles. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 1990.

Web Sites http://www.seaworld.org http://www.cccturtle.org http://www.discovery.com