Posted on: 2017-06-28 09:30:43
🐢 Turtle news we found interesting recently.
Recent Box Turtle News
Today’s box turtle stories are all repeats, but worth seeing if you haven’t already.
Nebraska has a new (unofficial) state reptile! It’s the ornate box turtle, the state’s only native terrestrial turtle. It beat out the snapping turtle, two snakes and two lizards for the honor. There are plans to make it official soon.
Box turtle are out on Long Island: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is asking drivers to stay alert for turtles in the road. We want future generations of humans to be able to enjoy future generations of box turtles! 🐢
Bourret’s box turtle babies!: These boxies are native to Vietnam and Laos. They are critically endangered and the Smithsonian’s National Zoo (where they hatched) is part of a program to help the species survive. Includes pictures of the little cutie-pies.
Studying Box Turtles: Scientists in Aiken, SC have been tracking and studying box turtles for almost 30 years. One old guy (turtle, not researcher!) has lived in the same backyard for most of that time!
Two box turtles rescued from dark closet: They and 11 other animals had been mostly abandoned at a Nature Center. 🙁 (California)
Recent U. S. Turtle News
We can all do our part to keep turtles safe.
Tiny turtle vs a giant parking lot: Kind man finds him (or her!) a more suitable habitat. (Normally we’d point out that it’s best to just bring the turtle to the side of the road—or parking lot in this case—where it was headed. But this was apparently a very young juvenile. They seem to adapt better to being relocated than adults do.)
Turtle thief!: Hungry turtle snags fish right off the line. (Picture)
Fishing piers are dangerous for sea turtles: Anglers keep hooking the turtles. 🙁 Turtle rescuers are asking anyone who fishes to learn how to help a hooked turtle. You won’t get in trouble for accidentally hooking a protected turtle, so don’t be afraid to help.
Turtles don’t understand roadways: One snapping turtle mama thought the middle of the road would make a good nest. Lucky for her (and her eggs), a caring person protected her while she finished, then arranged to have the eggs dug up and incubated. (Chicago)
Turtle Tuesday beach cleanups: Yes, they’re a real thing. They happen in Palm Beach, and we think they’re a fantastic idea.
Mario Andretti zips around Portsmouth, VA: No, not that Andretti. That’s the nickname given to an escaped Sulcata tortoise. His real name is Sampson and he’s back home.
From the “Anyone Can Make a Difference” files: A Roxbury, Connecticut official urges residents to avoid stepping on sea turtles after a kindergartner wrote her a letter.
Diamond back terrapins go home: A senior center and two school classes release the turtles they’ve cared for since last fall. (Massachusetts)
Mama needs to lay her eggs: And she’s not going to let an old injury stop her from making at least 2 nests this season!
Reminder: Sea turtles are nesting on Maui beaches: Please share the beach respectfully!
Josh Duhamel wants your help … to protect sea turtles. In a video for a WildAid awareness campaign, he reminds travelers not to buy tortoiseshell souvenirs. They’re made from real shell. That means turtles had to die to make them. 😠
We’re still sharing these stories, which are worth a look if you haven’t yet seen them.
- Help elect the Bog turtle New Jersey’s state reptile!: Supporters from around the world have been signing the petition. Add your name! They’re still far from their goal of 5,000 supporters.
- Help count turtles around northern Vermont & southern Quebec: Memphremagog Conservation Inc is asking residents to report turtle sightings. The census runs from June through October.
- He may lose his sight for protecting a turtle: Do you remember the Daytona man who was attacked in February after asking 3 men to stop torturing a turtle? He’s still suffering the effects from that beating.
- Reserve your Turtle Watch spot for July: Your chance to see a loggerhead sea turtle nesting on Playalinda Beach or Apollo Beach. (Florida)
- New whale and sea turtle protections scrapped: Politics aside, how can anyone support fewer protections for these vulnerable animals?
Recent International Turtle News
Artificial insemination for turtles (Yes, really!), plastic … again!, and getting eggs to safety.
One final shot at saving the Yangtze Giant Turtle: Just one pair remain in the world (with possibly one other male somewhere). Both normal mating and artificial insemination have failed to lead to babies. Scientists are giving artificial insemination one more try, using a more advanced technique.
Almost 25 years ago a marine turtle died with a gut full of plastic: Today a woman who couldn’t save it has come up with a way to shred & reuse plastic waste. So hopefully turtles can stop dying from human carelessness. (Australia)
Students fish plastic bags out of the sea: They wanted to prevent loggerhead sea turtles from eating them. Students from 5 schools dove into the water to collect the bags. These young people have the right attitude! (Turkey)
Mom doesn’t always know best: At least when it comes to turtles finding nesting sites. This mama clearly doesn’t understand “parking lot” or “boat launch,” both of which would make life hazardous for her babies. Assuming the eggs didn’t get eaten first. Luckily, there’s enough humans who both understand and care. Her eggs are being incubated and her babies will be released safely after they hatch. (Ontario)
Baby Asian softshell turtles!: The adorable little blobs with heads (seriously… look at them!) are the newest members of an endangered species. Multiple conservation groups have spent the past decade working to boost their population size. (Southeast Asia)
Honoring the snapping turtle: A sculpture of a snapping turtle will soon Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto. This turtle is important to many indigenous cultures, and the sculpture is intended as a tribute to them.
Rising temperatures threaten sea turtle survival: Warmer temperatures first lead to more females (the sex of turtles depends on the temperature the eggs incubate at ). If temperatures keep rising, it’ll eventually kill the babies either before they hatch or shortly after.
You may have seen these stories already. But we love the initiative of these people, so we’re sharing them again.
- Spreading the word about the dangers of plastic to marine life: ‘Plastic Free Boy’ has a mission to protect the turtles. He’s making a difference. And a film.
- One community’s solution for protecting turtles crossing the road: Turtle tunnels! And fencing to encourage them to use their new “crosswalks.” You can find a more detailed story here.
- Bri Bri the Turtle Guy’s slow & steady campaign to protect Ontario’s turtles: He personally patrols roadways to find turtles needing help. And he teaches others how to protect turtles and the environment.