Posted on: 2018-06-15 10:30:09
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Recent turtle news we found interesting.
Sea turtles are still nesting … One recent nest was huge! Another one hatched. And one mama got a bit turned around.
An alligator snapping turtle had an interesting snack. Another was just a giant! And both had to survive incredible odds to get to this point.
As usual there’s plastic and other trash everywhere. Including in sea turtles … some of the news is good and some is not.
Plus more.
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Recent Box Turtle News
We found multiple boxie stories this week! Although they’re not all happy ones. But protecting turtles is always a welcome story. So are pictures of the elusive spotted box turtle. 💚
Protecting box turtles living under power lines: Boxies (and some other species) apparently like the environment around the power lines. So some power companies like this one train workers to find and move the turtles before mowing or doing other work. On this training day they found a 30-year old boxie carrying eggs. 💚 Includes videos. (Massachusetts)
Why would anyone bejewel a turtle?: Someone did just that to a little box turtle and then apparently let it loose in a marina. Luckily someone found it & un-bejeweled it. What’s worse? At least 2 other turtles have things glued to them, but they evaded capture.
Spotted box turtles in Sonora, Mexico: Almost 2 dozen closeups of this pretty turtle, head, tail, carapace, and plastron! 💚
Recent U. S. Turtle News
This week we found a tortoise homecoming and a tortoise birthday party. Also a big sea turtle nest, a hatching sea turtle nest, and a really big sea turtle gets confused. Plus at least one snapper seems to have lived up to its reputation, no more plastic bags at SeaWorld, and more.
Tortoise happenings
Westman the tortoise is back home: He disappeared last year and resurfaced in May about 1.5 miles away. Luckily the woman who found him showed him to a neighbor who remembered seeing signs about him last year. We just love happy endings. 💚 Includes video. (Washington)
Fred had a grand time for his 19th birthday: Fred is a Sulcata tortoise who lives at Petland Orlando South as its mascot. He loves “greeting” other animals up for adoption, sneaking up on customers, and munching on his lettuce & fruit.
Sea turtle news
Myrtle Beach’s 1st nest of the season is a big one: It contained 140 eggs! Around 100-ish is a more common nest size.
2nd Kemp’s ridley nest ever on Okaloosa beach: The 1st was just 2 weeks earlier! Have they found a new area to nest in?
Please pay attention when boating: 2 turtles died recently from boat strikes off Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. Slowing down could help prevent these things. 😢 Includes video (Warning: video includes pictures of dead turtles).
The sea turtles are hatching! The first ones anyway. So it’s time to watch them scamper across the sand to the ocean. Always mesmerizing. 💚 This video is from Palm Beach County, Florida.
Loggerhead turtle has recovered from red tide poisoning: It was floating upside down in the water on May 29. But it’s all better now, as you can see in this video of it making a beeline for the water.
Reminders for interacting with marine life: Basically stay a safe distance away. Both for your safety and for theirs. And because it’s the law.
300 pound loggerhead rescued from middle of road: She was probably trying to nest & got turned around. Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch volunteers got her safely back to the water. Hopefully she’ll be back to successfully nest soon. (Florida)
Cold-stunned sea turtles don’t die in vain: As sad as it is when these turtles are found dead or die after rescue, these animals actually help scientists understand them better. The researchers store the turtles until cold-stunning season is over & then do necropsies (animal autopsies) to learn things like the turtle’s age, what & where it had eaten, abnormalities and more. The more data they have, the more complete our understanding of the turtles gets.
Snapping turtles keep making news
Turtle crossing guards? Yes! This community in New York uses volunteer “crossing guards” at known snapping turtle crossings. When there’s a turtle in the road they warn drivers to slow down. How awesome is that?
Alligator snapper more than fishermen bargained for: The 4-foot long turtle tried to snack on their bait. They got it unhooked & a game warden inspected it and returned it to the river. Includes pictures. (Oklahoma)
Alligator snappers really do eat fingers: If you ever had any doubt, a Louisiana man found proof inside the turtle he was preparing to eat. 😯 Authorities are hoping to find the finger’s owner.
Plastic news … Some good, some sad
Surgery to remove “ocean debris”: Colin the green sea turtles intestines were blocked & he needed 3 hours of surgery to remove what this report is calling “ocean debris.” Sounds like code for plastic. Includes video. (SeaWorld Orlando)
SeaWorld goes plastic bag free: No plastic straws or cup lids either. The company wants to do its part to reduce the need for surgeries like Colin’s (above story).
New citizen science project in North Palm Beach: Visitors to MacArthur Beach State Park can now help pick up trash for science. The park’s nature center supplies buckets and gloves. When you bring back a full bucket they weigh it and collect the data to share with other organizations. Anything that reduces the trash for sea turtles & other marine life is a good thing.
Recent International Turtle News
Mostly sea turtle news this week. Two sea turtles missing a flipper (or more) go home. A sea turtle trafficker is sentenced. And one lucky sea turtle is rescued for World Oceans Day. Plus more.
4.5 years for trafficking Hawksbill sea turtles: It took years, but the man who had been storing around 7,000 mostly taxidermied turtles has finally been sentenced. Unfortunately the man officials believe is the mastermind behind the scheme is still free.
Four Seasons Maldives rehabs sea turtles: It also does other conservation work, and guests can help with much of it. One recent sea turtle guest, Eevee has lost 1.5 flippers to a ghost net. But after a few months she was able to go home. Includes video and pictures.
Brody has finally gone home: It took 2 years of rehab, but the green turtle has healed from a boat strike in 2016. He’s also missing a flipper, but that wasn’t enough to stop him from heading back to sea. Includes pictures. (Queensland, Australia)
Protecting loggerheads in Japan: It is the only place where loggerheads nest in the North Pacific. And since the 1980s various conservation organizations have worked to protect them.
Hawksbill turtles swim far and wide: A subadult released recently in Taiwan swam 3,572 km (2,219miles) to the Philippines. In 2016 one swam 5,467 km (3397 miles) to Indonesia.
World Oceans Day rescue: Perfectly illustrating the need for the day, the sea turtle had gotten itself tangled in trash. Luckily a caring person saw it and called for help. Includes video. (Malta)
Green sea turtle’s stomach filled with rubber bands, plastic bags, nylon and more: Sadly rescuers found it too late to save it. 😢 This is happening much too often.
Marveling at the painted turtle: Learn a bit about British Columbia’s painted turtles.
Thoughts on snapping turtles: Many people see them as ugly, ruthless killers of baby ducks & other little critters. But hey, they have to eat if they’re going to survive! And when they’re little the tables are turned … bigger animals are eating them.