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Sea Turtles
Sea Turtles in New England Waters
Leatherback Sea Turtle
Dermochelys
coriacea |
Loggerhead Turtle photographed by Scott Surner |
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Sea Turtles in New
England Waters? There are sea turtles in the North Atlantic and diligent watching may bring you exception luck. The species you are most likely to encounter in New England are the Leatherback,and Loggerhead Sea Turtles. Kemp's Ridley and Green Sea Turtles are regularly rescued on Cape Cod in the winter in Cape Cod Bay. Recently a small Green Sea Turtle was spotted on an offshore pelagic trip. Sea Turtles are a good reason to stay on deck and keep watching on an offshore pelagic even when the sea appears to be empty.
General Characteristics of Sea Turtles ³ Sea Turtles are Reptiles that feed in all the world's oceans except the Arctic and Antarctic. Individuals may live 80 years. Sea Turtle eggs like all Reptiles must be laid and hatched on land. Once hatched they spend their entire lives at sea coming to land only to breed. (In the Hawaiian Islands, the Green Sea Turtle comes to the beach to bask in the sun.) They breath air and have very efficient lungs that can take in air rapidly. Sea Turtles do not reach maturity until they are 10-30 years old. They breed in tropical or subtropical waters. Copulation takes place at sea usually near the natal beach. Females come ashore to lay their eggs in holes they dig in the sand. Females may make up to 8 nests in a breeding season, but they only breed every 2-4 years. They are very vulnerable when they are on the beach and some breeding beaches have been destroyed by human and animal predation and more importantly beach development. The eggs hatch after about two months of incubation in the warm sand and the hatchling head directly to the sea. On the way they are subject to predation by Gulls and other animals. Less than 1% of the hatchlings survive. The survivors drift with the currents some species spend several years drifting with the Sargassum Weed (floating seaweed). Sea Turtles have salt excreting glands in the corner of their eyes which allows them to excrete salt taken in with food. Sea Turtles are highly endangered. There are 7 species of Sea Turtles at the present time. The Flatback Turtle is found only near Australia. All seven species are believed to be descendent of a single freshwater turtles that entered the sea.
Leatherback Turtle
Dermochelys
coriacea
The Leatherback is known to be a deep diver with recorded dives of 2,417 feet and 3,248 feet. They migrate long distances and one tagged specimen from the Indian Ocean was later recaptured in the Atlantic. Another ventured north to Alaska and ended up in the Cordova Museum. They can swim at a speed of 22 mph. They feed in all oceans except the Antarctic and Arctic, primarily on jellyfish . The Grand Banks and Georges Banks are major feeding areas because of the high jellyfish population. Known to feed almost exclusively on the Lion's Mane Jellyfish in the water off eastern Canada in summer. Leatherbacks from the Caribbean migrate north in spring to Cabot Strait between Cape Breton Island and Newfoundland to feed on an abundance of jellyfish. Seeing a turtle here can be hard as described by Carl Safina in his new book Voyage of the Turtle. 2006 Safina, Carl Voyage of the Turtle: In pursuit of the Earth's last dinosaur ISBN-13:978-0-8050-7891-6 Henry Holt and Company NY Loggerhead Turtle Caretta caretta
Loggerhead Turtle photographed by Steve Mirick on the BBC July 21 Extreme Shelf Edge Pelagic and used with his permission. This turtle was unusually cooperative and swam close to the boat, under the boat and close to the other side. Not a good sign. Turtles should avoid boats.
Green Sea Turtle Chelonia mydas The Green Sea Turtle is found in three oceans: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Ocean in tropical and subtropical waters. They are regularly seen from Virginia to Texas and in the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. They are known to feed as far north as Cape Cod. In the Atlantic, the Green Sea Turtle nests in Florida, Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Tortuguero on the Carribean coast of Costa Rica, Isla Tridnaade off Brazil. At Midway Atoll and on other Hawaiian Islands, the Green Turtle is known to bask on the beach. The Green Sea Turtle feeds on seagrasses and algae giving a green color to the fat and muscles and from this it gets its name. It is used to make the once popular green turtle soup favored by many. Turtle soup was said to be a favorite of Winston Churchill. I remember seeing turtle soup on the shelves of supermarkets in the United States. Its popularity has of course led to its demise as a species. Seeing a Green Sea Turtle in New England waters is even harder than seeing the Loggerhead or Leatherback. You should always be ready for a surprise on the off shore pelagic trips to the Continental Shelf Edge and on the June 2010 trip, a small Green Sea Turtle swam very near the boat giving the birders a close view of the wonderful sunrise markings on the shell. Then this turtle was attack by a shark which took a bite out of the shell. The turtle seemed to survive and again swam close to the boat. Of course our photographers got great pictures. This turtle was the size of a large pizza or maybe a little larger since the ocean makes everything look smaller. I was most impressed by the beautiful red and yellow sunrise markings on the shell. Behavior of this individual was a bit odd since it came close to the boat and stayed near the surface for a long time. This behavior may have led to or have been influenced by the shark.
Status of Sea Turtles Shrimp fishing kills many sea turtles because the turtles drown in the nets. U.S. fishermen have been persuaded to use turtle excluders on their nets which reduces the kill. Most shrimp served in the United States comes from other countries where these nets are not used. The only place I order shrimp is in south Texas because thanks to the Sea Turtle rescue effort all Texas shrimp is caught by turtle safe boats. Is your shrimp caught by US boats? The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has already killed many sea turtles.
Sea Turtle Rescue on South Padre Island
Texas Sea Turtle Rescue on Cape Cod and in New England² Wellfleet, Mass.- On Sunday, November 11, two Kemp's ridley and one green sea turtle were rescued from beaches in West Brewster and Dennis. Citizens spotted the turtles and notified Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and a rescue team was dispatched to the scene. All three turtles were found alive and after stabilizing them at Mass Audubon's Wellfleet Bay, a volunteer transported them to the New England Aquarium Rehabilitation Center in Boston. All are alive and expected to survive, according to Mass Audubon Naturalist Dennis Murley. "We usually begin to find the sea turtles around Halloween," says Murley. "But the unusually warm waters delayed their arrival this year." According to Murley, last week's nor'easter caused a shift in winds followed by a cold front and the water temperatures dropped to 50 degrees. The turtles, who are migrating south for warmer waters, become "cold-stunned" from the cooler waters. With temperatures now in the high 40s, southern-bound turtles should continue to wash ashore through December. Last weekend's weather produced consistently northerly winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour through two tides, which kept the turtles in the bay, rather than pushing them out to sea, according to Murley. Both species of turtles are on the United States Endangered Species List. What causes turtle strandings in Cape Cod Bay? One factor may be the summertime warm-water "bridge" that develops between the inshore waters off of Massachusetts, and the offshore waters east of Cape Cod. The turtles follow the warm water into the bay in search of food, but when the water temperature drops, the cold-blooded turtles' body temperature drops, too. This disoriented the turtles, and the harsh winter winds blow the turtles toward the shore, where they are stranded and are too cold to move. "The turtles we find have extremely cold internal body temperatures—around 30 degrees," according to Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary Director Bob Prescott, "and they should be in the Gulf of Mexico where the water temperature is around 90 degrees." Once a turtle is spotted, Prescott and his staff act quickly to remove it from the beach, and to raise its temperature slowly. Stranded turtles have lost important nutrients while in the cold water, and a quick change in temperature would shock their system. Once back at Wellfleet, the staff works around the clock analyzing blood, and re-hydrating the turtles. Once stabilized, the turtles go to the New England Aquarium in Boston for further evaluation and rehabilitation."It's pretty amazing when you bring back a turtle with a body temperature of 30 to 40 degrees, and it starts eating and eventually gets released," says Prescott. With the turtle survival rate between 50 and 60 percent, there have been many touch-and-go situations. A dedicated group of more than 100 volunteers and Wellfleet Bay staff combs Cape Cod beaches on the lookout for stranded turtles. The most common turtle found is the Atlantic ridley (aka Kemp's ridley), partly because conservation measures have increased its population. The endangered loggerhead is also sometimes found, although their larger size usually insulates them from the cold. The green sea turtle is a more uncommon visitor. "Fortunately, this time of year, the survival rate is usually quite high for sea turtles that wash ashore because the air temperature is still fairly warm," says Murley. "It was terrific that the citizens who found the turtles called Mass Audubon's Sea Turtle Rescue Hot Line so we could quickly get them stabilized." The turtles are expected to have a full recovery. With Northwest winds expected later this week, more turtles may be arriving. Mass Audubon is seeking volunteers to help with sea turtle rescues. If interested, call 508-349-2615.
If a sea turtle
is found:
Page author Emmalee Tarry 1 Reference for this page: Sea Turtles: A complete Guide to their Biology, Behavior, and Conservation. by James R. Spotila John Hopkins University Press 2004 2 I have lost the reference for this material. The information is critical to this page. 3. Wikipedia Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_turtle |
Last updated: 09/18/2012 |