MSCI 210 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Turtle Excluder Device, Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Leatherback Sea Turtle
Document Summary
What is a sea turtle: large air breathing reptiles, cold blooded animals, can"t regulate their body temperature. Anatomy: carapace- upper side of the shell, plastron- lower side of shell, flippers- function as a wing, scute- single hard scale covering the bony carapace. Extinction: habitat consumption, destruction, over consumption, pollution, sea turtles are an indicator species,important for ecosystems. Why should we save them: they keep sea grass and sea jellies under control, beach health, medical issues. Adults up to 80 pounds, heart shaped shell. Ted= turtle exclusion device: olive ridley. Black market of eggs: green turtle. Fleshy things in throat to catch food: hawksbill turtle. Small with a narrow head and beak. Still a large trade market in asia: loggerhead turtle. Epibionts such as barnacles and worms live on the shell: loggerhead turtle. Mate in water near natal nesting beach. Emerges and crawls above high tide line. Egg deposition contractions start and eggs drop from cloaca.
