Hawksbill Sea Turtle
The hawksbill is quite a peculiar name, but makes complete sense after it’s explained. The mouth of these turtles is narrow and pointed resembling a beak, hence the name hawksbill (Hawksbill Turtle). The hawksbill sea turtle is a stunning, tropical turtle with many interesting habits and characteristics.
This particular sea turtle has many unique physical characteristics that set it apart from other sea turtles. These turtles are rather small when compared to others. The average measurements for weight and length are 80 kg and 87 cm (Edelman). “The carapace (top shell) has a tortoiseshell coloring, ranging from dark to golden brown, with streaks of orange, red, and/or black…. [and] the plastron (bottom shell) is clear yellow (Hawksbill Sea Turtle).” Although male and females both look similar, males tend to be more colorful, have a concave plastron, long claws, and a thicker tail and females have a carapace that curves outward. Other features besides color are, two claws on each front limb, two pairs of prefrontal scales on the head, and a toothless mouth with strong jaws that are capable of crushing and biting its food (Edelman) (Hawksbill Sea Turtle, National Wildlife).
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These omnivores eat mollusks, marine algae, crustaceans, sea urchins, fish, jellyfish and their favorite- sponges (Hawksbill Sea Turtle, National Geographic). Being their favorite food, hawksbills can eat an average of 1200 lbs of sponges a year. Despite the sponges being made up of tiny glasslike needles, eating them does no harm to the turtles. Some of the turtles’ food can be toxic, but the turtles are able to absorb the toxins through their body fat without being harmed them or becoming ill (Hawksbill Sea Turtle, National Wildlife). Feeding on these sponges also benefits underwater ecosystems by allowing more space for other organisms to
In the Grapes of Wrath, a novel by John Steinbeck, there are many examples of symbolism. One of the most prominent symbols found in this book is the turtle seen in chapter three. This turtle is symbolic of three things: the Joads and their journey west, Tom Joad himself, and the promise of new life. First, here’s a little background information on the turtle. This land turtle was somewhere to go. Where than is, no one knows, except perhaps John Steinbeck. To get there the turtle decides to take the perilous journey down a dusty dirt road that stretches along the quiet countryside. What could happen? A lot more than one might think. In fact, the turtle faces quite a few challenged ranging from pesky insects, to ledges, to even cars. But, the thing that makes this turtle special is that he never gives up (Pages
Throughout the animal kingdom, adaptations take place continuously and even the smallest of changes can leave a significant impact. Examples can be seen within any plant or animal. One example would include sea turtles, specifically, the Loggerhead Turtles. These turtles are native to the Indian, Atlantic, and Pacific Oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea (Deurmit L 2007). They thrive in either temperate or tropical climates and can live in a myriad of biomes (Deurmit L 2007). These biomes include the pelagic, reef, coastal, and brackish water (Deurmit L 2007). Loggerhead turtles are omnivores and can eat anything from insects to aquatic crustaceans, to macro algae (Deurmit L 2007). According to Deurmit (2007) Caretta caretta is classified into Animalia Kingdom, Chordata Phylum, Vertebrata Subphylum, Reptilian Class, Testudines’ Order,
The poem Mark O’Connor wrote “Turtles Hatching” at a time in his life when was closely studying nature.
“Myths can be described as sacred tales that help man understand the world and his place in it. Myths often try to respond to various eternal questions, such as the origin of the existence of evil, and also, through the archetypes that they provide, seem to give guidance to every generation,” as an Access teacher states, on enotes.com. During one’s education, grammar school through college, we fortunately get the opportunity to be exposed to countless myths and also numerous mythological creatures that we have never heard of before. Personally it was quite the challenge to relate some of these mythological tales into my own life. We don’t usually realize or understand, at that exact time of hearing or reading the creation myth, their drive
As you may have already guessed, the Red Eared Slider Turtle has derived its name from its bright scarlet ears which are its distinguishing features and set it apart from its other "slider" cousins. There are many reasons why the red eared slider turtle is the most popular pick among pet turtles.
Redfoot tortoises native habitat is a range through South America. They live in Argentina and Panama. they will inhabit temperate forest, live in grasslands and Savannas in South America. They’ve been seen on the Caribbean islands of Barbados and Trinidad. They will live in forest, rainforest, and dry forest all throughout a range down in South America.
But why do they matter? Green turtles graze on seagrasses and algae, which helps maintain the seagrass beds. By doing so, these turtles help the beds become more productive which is key to a healthy ecosystem. After the seagrass is consumed by the Green sea turtles, it is digested and its nutrients are recycled back to the seagrass and the organisms that live with it. Furthermore, seagrass beds are also used as nurseries for several species and these nurseries are important for species growth which will richen the ecosystem.
Female sea lions range from 5 to 6.5 feet in length, weighing between 110-240 pounds. Males are much larger than females. Sea lions have fusiform bodies, allowing them ease of movement through the water. While the color of sea lions vary, males are typically chocolate brown while females and young males are tan, and pups are dark chocolate brown. Males lighten as they age. The foreflippers of a sea lion are large and resemble wings, allowing the sea lion to swim. There is no hair on the foreflippers, and the foreflippers also lack claws. This allows the sea lion to use the foreflippers in a winglike motion to propel themselves through water. The hind flippers are used to steer while swimming, and, on land, the sea lion can rotate the hind flippers underneath the pelvis area which allows the animal to support its weight and walk on all fours (SeaWorld: California Sea Lions: Physical Characteristics).
Caretta caretta, otherwise known as the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, is an oceanic turtle that exist throughout the globe. They are circumtropical species (LeBlanc et al. 2014) meaning they are distributed throughout temperate and tropical ocean regions, but most abundant species are found in the United States coastal range. Loggerheads largest nesting aggregations in the Atlantic are found along the southeastern United States coastal range where about 80% of all nesting occurs and 90% of all hatchlings are produced (Abecassis et al. 2013).
In the coral reef habitat, food consumption is based on sunlight. The sunlight gives food to the plants, bacteria and algae, which is eaten by the plant eaters or herbivores, such as parrotfishes. The bigger carnivores, such as the Whitetip Reef Shark, in the ecosystem then eat those fishes along with the bacteria and plankton in the water. On the other hand, the deep sea is based on dead animal bodies or waste, shown in the fake whale carcass in the deep sea exhibit. Organisms of the deep sea feed on waste because sunlight does not have the ability to reach that deep in the ocean. Nektons are the fishes that feed on the waste produced by the epipelagic zone.
The American alligators have many physical characteristics. Their size ranges from six to twelve feet. A full grown male can weigh up to one thousand and two hundred pounds. The American alligator has a long round snout with nostrils at the end. An alligator has two eyes towards the top of its head. Also alligators have a long thin body that has four legs and a long tail (EDIS, 2009)
Leatherbacks enjoy eating soft-bodied prey. Their favorite animal to eat is the jellyfish. Leatherbacks are able to eat gummy prey because of their pointed cusps and razor sharp jaws. Their mouths and throats have spines that point backwards which help keep hold of their tacky prey (Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys Coriacea)). The Leatherback will eat so many jellyfish that they will eat up to twice their body weight per day.
On the other hand, Chelonian have been affected as well by human hunting, environment, and many other causes (Loren McClenachan, 2006). • Consumption of anthropogenic fragments indicates a significant endangerment to not only sea turtles but to all the marine population (Victoria González Carman, 2014). Moreover, they get incidentally stuck in fishing gear and it murders thousands of green sea turtles every year (Wallace et al., 2010). In addition, another cause of concern is the fibropapillomatosis, the most significant health problem affecting free sea turtles; it is not only affecting the green sea turtle, it affects the all seven species (Ene A, 2005). Chelonian sea turtles are endangered for many reasons, one of them habitat degradation, human invasion in their habitat, I as search for information I came across many pictures sea turtles and it the back a human (Flanagan, 2014).
Endangered is when there is very little of a species and they could easily become extinct. Extinct is when there is no more of that species left on earth. There are 16 endangered whale and dolphin species. Some are more endangered than most like the maui dolphin. Dolphins are endangered because they get caught in fishing line, are killed for food, and their habitat is contaminated by oil spills.
To truly protect sea turtles around the world, many different countries and cultures must cooperate and share responsibilities. International laws and agreements, research, and the work of dedicated organizations and individuals each must play a part. Long-term protection of sea turtles also means developing solutions that reduce reliance on management methods requiring direct human involvement such as moving nests or raising hatchlings in captivity. If sea turtles cannot survive and reproduce on their own, without the help from humans, then they are doomed. Feeding and nesting grounds must be protected, and a public wildlife conservation ethic must be fostered that can withstand gaps in government regulations, pressure from private interests,