Sea Turtles
Sea turtles sometimes called marine turtles.
The seven existing species of sea turtles are:
Flatback sea turtles
Green sea turtles
Hawksbill sea turtles
Leatherback sea turtles
Loggerhead sea turtles
Kemp's ridley sea turtles
Olive ridley sea turtles
All of the seven species listed above, except for the flatback, are present in US waters.
The flatback itself exists in the waters of Australia, Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
Sea turtles can be categorized as hard-shelled (cheloniid) or leathery-shelled (dermochelyid).
The only dermochelyid species of sea turtle is the leatherback.
For each of the seven types of sea turtles, females and males are the same size; there is no sexual dimorphism.
In general, sea turtles have a more fusiform body plan than their terrestrial or freshwater counterparts.
Turtle gender is influenced by the temperature in which eggs develop, with warmer temperatures producing a higher ratio of female turtles.
This tapering at both ends reduces volume and means that sea turtles cannot retract their head and limbs into their shells for protection, unlike many other turtles and tortoises.
However, the streamlined body plan reduces friction and drag in the water and allows sea turtles to swim more easily and swiftly.
Sea turtles can be found in all oceans except for the polar regions.
The Kemp's ridley sea turtle is found solely in the Gulf of Mexico and along the East Coast of the United States.
Sea turtles are the first biofluorescent reptile found in the wild.
Threats
Turtles have historically been hunted for their meat and eggs, with their shells used in jewellery.
Plastic pollution causing harm, vessel strikes, nets causing them to be entangled in them.
Coastal development, which reduces the amount of nesting habitat they have available.
Warming oceans harm coral reefs, which turtles need to survive.
Shift currents to expose turtles to new predators.
Rising sea levels diminish the beaches where the turtles nest and lay their eggs.
Leatherback sea turtle
The leatherback sea turtle sometimes called the lute turtle, leathery turtle or simply the luth.
It is the largest of all living turtles and the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile, reaching lengths of up to 1.8 metres and weights of 500 kilograms.
It is the only living species in the genus Dermochelys and family Dermochelyidae.
It can easily be differentiated from other modern sea turtles by its lack of a bony shell; instead, its carapace is covered by oily flesh and flexible, leather-like skin, for which it is named.
The leatherback turtle is a species with a cosmopolitan global range.
Of all the extant sea turtle species, D. coriacea has the widest distribution.
The leatherback is found in all tropical and subtropical oceans, and its range extends well into the Arctic Circle.
The three major, genetically distinct populations occur in the Atlantic, eastern Pacific, and western Pacific Oceans.
Leatherback populations in the Indian Ocean remain generally unassessed and unevaluated.
IUCN Red list status : Vulnerable
Why it is in news?
In a rare occurrence, a leatherback sea turtle – washed ashore and was successfully released into the sea at Thanthadi Beach, about 30 kilometres from Visakhapatnam.
According to marine biologists and local fishermen, the endangered sea turtle was seen in Visakhapatnam coast after a gap of seven years.
It is unusual to spot the species in this coast. The leatherbacks are normally seen in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands where they come in groups.
Wildlife Rescue Program
Abu Dhabi's Environment Agency launched Wildlife Rescue Program in 2020 to aid turtles distressed by climate change and other issues.
In the latest release in early June, about 80 turtles were carried to the water's edge by members of the agency's Wildlife Rescue Program, joined by members of the community.
Many were outfitted with satellite tracking gear to help scientists better understand migration patterns and the success of rehabilitation methods.
Abu Dhabi's isn't the only agency in the Emirates focused on aiding sea turtles.
Emirates Nature-WWF launched a pair of marine conservation initiatives more than a decade ago, studying the behaviour of the hawksbill and green turtles in the region.
Dubai Turtle Rehabilitation Project has been helping sick and injured sea turtles for nearly two decades, rehabilitating and returning more than 2,000 turtles to the Persian Gulf in that time.
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