In order to understand and aid an endangered organism it is important that one must be able to identify spatial and temporal characteristics centered on the organism’s means of energy intake. This includes not only how they search, forage or capture their prey, but also what their prey is and where it can be found geographically. This experiment specifically focuses on the foraging aspect of an endangered species, the Leatherback Sea Turtles, in order to see how their prey influences their foraging behavior and success. The problem that most researchers have been faced with when regarding this topic is the fact that most prey are encountered and consumed at great depths by the organism. Thus, there is not a lot of information or data that has been discovered because …show more content…
Thus, they concluded that these temperate waters off of eastern Canada play an extremely important role in the Leatherback’s survival as they allow them to capitalize on seasonally-abundant prey in coastal temperate waters, showing that their migratory patterns are a necessity in order to ensure their survival by allowing them to come gorge off of the abundance of food. The scientists actually found out that the turtles, when they come to the waters off of eastern Canada, increase in mass by roughly 33 percent. They also found out that even though jelly fish are fairly energy-poor the intake of them by the Leatherback Turtles actually results in a high energy intake for
Have you ever heard of the Moon Jellyfish? They are the most beautiful jellyfish in its common species. Moon Jellyfish are light blue and very clear.Moon jellyfish have a Bellhead also known as a umbrella. In addition,a moon jellyfish has a radial symmetry body that is very flexible.Also,they have these four oral arms they use to swim by pulling the water and releasing it.
Turtles are one of the oldest reptile groups. They are classified as amniotes. They have existed a long time ago, which means they have seen the rise and fall of the dinosaurs and the rise of humanity. Scientists think that turtles have existed for around 157 million years (mosaic 29). Approximately, sea turtles were 65 million years ago (Dobbs 1). This family has survived the passage of time and is threatened by the contamination that humans have created in the ocean. The six sea turtles that occur on the coasts of America are in fact threatened. Sea turtles are very important for the ecosystem, but humans, directly and indirectly, endanger this family. If humans do not stop their destructive habits, we can lose the influence of sea turtles on seafarers. Sea turtles play an important role in the ecology of the ocean, and without turtles, we can see an ecological collapse in the oceans. Sea turtles are one of the few animals in the sea that eat sea grass (Godfrey). Sea turtles act as grazing animals that cut short grass and help maintain the health of the family of seaweed (Godfrey). In recent decades, there has been a decline in the sea grass family. This decrease may be related to the decrease in the number of sea turtles (Godfrey). Sea grass is important because it is a fertile ground for many species of fish, shellfish and crustaceans (Godfrey). The beaches and sand dunes are known for not having many nutrients. When the sea turtles reach
It’s a beautiful day at the beach, the sun is shining down on you as you float and drift on top of the waves. As you lay there without a care in the world, you are suddenly interrupted by a massive swarm of jellyfish; also known as a bloom. Not only does this send you into sudden terror, it also causes a much bigger threat to the ecosystem below you. The excessive growth of jellyfish swarm drastically lowers the population of fish eggs in the ecosystem. Because of this, fishermen lose millions of dollars. People in local communities are figuring out ways to solve this mass production.
The magnificent leatherback sea turtle is a precious species that exists in the world today. It has endured and evolved through the years, and it would be terrible if humans put an end to their amazing existence. By learning more and taking an active role in supporting conservation programs, hopefully the leatherback population can grow and
The green sea turtle occurs throughout tropical and subtropical oceans and is among the largest of the hard-shelled sea turtles growing to as much as 440 pounds and four feet in length. The breeding populations in Florida were listed as endangered in 1978 (43 FR 32800 32811, July 28, 1978) whereas all other populations were listed as threatened (NOAA 2015h). There is a proposal for identification of a North Atlantic green sea turtle distinct population that would be listed as threatened, continuing its current listing status near New York (80 FR 51763 51764, August 26, 2015). They are found in the shallow waters (except during migration) of shoals, bays, lagoons reefs, and inlets, often where submerged aquatic vegetation exists, from Maine south to Florida, and throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea (USFWS 2015n, 2015o; NOAA 2015e). Green sea turtles nests are not present in New York; however, they occasionally are found stranded on or near the shore (NYSDEC 2015ad). Breeding takes places in subtropical to tropical oceans every two, three, or four years between June and September, with peak nesting in June and July (NOAA 2015h; USFWS 2015u). Hatching usually occurs at night, and many green sea turtle hatchlings seek refuge and food in masses of floating sea plants (USFWS
Some species may see increases from declines of loggerhead sea turtles. Loggerhead turtles are species generalists and compete with other carnivorous predators whose diets overlap with theirs (Bjorndal 2003). Juvenile loggerheads and Kemp’s ridleys in waters around Long Island have substantial diet overlap and a decline in loggerhead sea turtles may reduce the amount of competition for prey, allowing the Kemps ridleys access to more
The Chelonia mydas also known as the green turtle is currently classified as an endangered species and is one of the oldest living marine vertebrates. The aim of this paper is to examine the Chelonia mydas the chain of events that has caused the decline of its population primarily through human activity, diet, and relationship to its ecosystem. The paper will conclude with a discussion of current conservation efforts implemented to save the Chelonia mydas population. Such efforts include restrictions on human hunting and Identification of marine areas for conservation via satellite tracking.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists Tomo Eguchi and Jeff Seminoff made oceanic history by releasing the first juvenile loggerhead sea turtle into the West Coast of the United States, with a transmitter attacked to its body. This exploration is going to aid scientists in getting a better understanding of what type of habitats juvenile loggerheads live in prior to participating in the years prior to participation in migration. Scientists are hopping to gain a better understanding of where juvenile loggerheads live for the sake protecting their habitats from fisherman. As of now, scientists have predicted that juvenile loggerheads tend to inhabit the same environments as swordfish. This is extremely dangerous to the lives of sea turtles considering that swordfish are heavily hunted by many fishermen. Therefore, if scientist theories are correct, the loggerheads are living in very dangerous environments. This exploration was initiated when a Coast Guard vessel found the loggerhead and took it to the Aquarium of the Pacific, where it would receive medical attention.
The Ocean is 70 percent of the earth’s surface, humans have explored less than five percent of the ocean, and is home to an innumerable amount of living organisms. One of its oldest inhabitants is the Cheloniidae dates back to the Triassic era, roughly 250 million years ago, (Wang et al., 2013). The Cheloniidae family has several subspecies the Eretmochelys imbricate, Caretta caretta, Dermochelys coriacea, Lepidochelys olivacea, and Chelonia mydas. While there are multiple endangered subspecies of the Cheloniidae; the endangered Chelonia mydas, commonly known as the green turtle, will be the focus of this paper. The paper will discuss the green turtle’s importance to its ecosystem, where they are most commonly found, importance to its ecosystem,
One hypothesis proposes that the reason Steller sea lions have been declining is because of low prey abundance. Animals should use their energy efficiently when they forage to maximize the net amount of energy gained in relation to the amount time and energy that is spent, but it is believed that the reason Steller sea lions are disappearing in such big numbers is because when prey abundance is lower, that Stellar sea lions are less efficient predators (Charnov, 1976). In a recent study conducted on the effect of prey abundance on foraging efficiency, it was found that the less prey that Stellar sea lions had available, the less efficient they were in foraging (Goundie et al., 2015). In the experiment, the researchers took 4 adult Stellar sea lions and had them dive up and down a tube while recording their oxygen consumption, and dive duration. The sea lions dove between the surface of the water and depths of 10 m, and 40 m, and the reason for this was to simulate diving depths of Steller sea lions in the wild (Merrick and Loughlin, 1997). While the sea lions were diving, researchers fed them pieces of fish through two different tubes that were placed away from each other in order to simulate real foraging movements and prey densities. The researchers fed the seals 12 pieces of fish in the
Natural selection has shaped the leatherback sea turtle in a myriad of ways, bringing it to its present form. Bolstering its ability to survive, the leatherback's flexible and rubbery shell texture give the species and more hydrodynamic structure, allowing them to dive to depths of 4,200 feet. Leatherbacks are also able to maintain warm body temperatures in cold water by using a unique set of adaptations that allow them to both generate and retain body heat.
The Blanding turtle are freshwater medium sized turtle usually found in The Great Lakes Regions in USA and in Canada. They are from the omnivorous species and usually eat crayfish, small animals, and plants. Their life histories traits occurs between April and November, as May and April tend to be more for mating and Early June for nesting. Less than half of these females will actually go on to reproducing. Many of these turtles can actually live up to sixty to a hundred years in age. Though these turtles spend a majority of time in the aquatics they also come on to the mainland. This is were the problem starts to occur and this is why the Blanding sea turtles are currently threatened and may soon be extinct. It is because of us humans that these species are currently facing habitat loss, have threatened nesting areas, and are unable to get from nesting areas to the lakes because of manmade roads. Why should we as humans care so much if these Blanding’s turtles go extinct? These turtles play an important
Lobsters are benthic organisms because they on the ocean bottom (Townsend, 2012). These animals are on the bottom of the seabed and do not swim as much as organisms that never touch the seabed (Townsend, 2012). In this case, epifaunal is a word to characterize that lobsters live on the seabed (Townsend, 2012). Lobsters do not burry themselves into the seabed, but instead hind under rocks for protection from prey (Townsend, 2012). In addition, the mobility of lobsters was designed to catch prey and the mobility of a lobster is used for a survival technique that is heavily influenced based on feeding styles (Townsend, 2012). Furthermore, feeding styles increase growth in a lobster therefore molting and temperature of ocean are also important to study (Townsend, 2012). Studies are trying to find correlations that climate change can be linked to molting patterns, or with more carbon dioxide in the water lobsters carbon shells could be impacted (Townsend, 2012). Surprisingly, after over twenty years of studying many lobsters researcher Dr. Jelle Atema has come up with a detailed explanation for lobster mating behaviour where female lobster does not have a shell (University of Maine, 2016). On the other hand, Dr. Robert Steneck debates technology is best used to understand the lifestyle of a lobster (Gulf of Maine Research
The lifespan of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) can be divided into three classifications: hatchlings, juveniles, and adults. Within these classifications are several stages that loggerhead turtles undergo that are characterized by changes in behavior, morphology, or location. There are various ways to define and classify these stages. Loggerhead sea turtles have abrupt developmental changes in regards to their behavior, habitat, and use of resources as they mature (Dodd 1988). The loggerhead sea turtle life cycle starts with oviposition on the nesting beach. Shortly after oviposition, the neural groove and head fold forms, the amnion arises, and the number of somites increases. As development continues, the heart begins beating, the
Imagine a world of chaos. We see things like that all the time in movies, where zombies roam the earth and there are just those few main survivors left. The world is in ruins. If ocean life was to die out, there would be a collapse of civilization as a whole. Just like we see on TV, the world would become a place where no order exists. This would lead to human extinction. The ocean dies, we die along with it, and if sea turtles die, so does the ocean. In simple words, one could say that human life depends on sea turtles. In this speech I will be covering three topics. First, how a sea turtle’s diet benefits marine life and humans, second, how sea turtles provide homes and food for other species, and last, how sea turtles protect beaches from washing away.