Sharp Finned Sea Turtle

Introduction

Sharp Finned Sea Turtles are just one of the many different types of sea turtles, most commonly found in subtropical and tropical oceans. They are big in size, some weighing up to 700 pounds. For the most part they are omnivores, meaning their diet consists of insects, sea grass and worms when they are young, and seagrass and algae when they become adults. With its extensive size and huge flippers, it is able to swim quickly.

They are a crucial part of their ecosystem as they help maintain sea plants and keep them from over growing. Less beneficially, their shells decompose into the oceans and they mess with the currents. Main threats to their existence are global warming and predators. Climate change is also linked to storms and floods. Luckily, when the turtles reproduce (one every year), they lay their eggs in shallow waters escaping the danger of beaches flooding and seabirds eating their eggs. Other dangers they may face are being caught in fishing gear, turtle poaching for shell trade, and them getting caught up in, or swallowing plastics found in the ocean.

Etymology

The Sharp Finned Turtle comes from the Latin name acri pedibus: turtur. Turtur comes from the word turtle dove and acri pedibus means “sharp feet.” Since the turtles have sharp flippers to cut through fishing gear and plastics, sharp feet are in their Latin name. The Sharp Finned Turtle evolved from the original animal, the Green Turtle, making it a turtle.

Habitat and Population

The green turtles mainly live near beaches along the Hawaiian Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the East coast of Florida, and in some other subtropical and tropical oceans. Besides in coastal waters, you may also find them in seagrass beds and lagoons. There are about 85,000- 90,000 females, left, meaning many turtles got killed by beaches flooding due to global warming or predators eating them. Females reproduce every year, laying about 75-100 eggs in shallow waters near beaches. Once the egg’s hatch, the baby turtles swim directly up, to take their first breath of air. From that point on the turtles will live on their own until they mature and find someone to mate with. As babies they eat seagrass and algae along with crustaceans and worms. When turtles are adults they live off a plant based diet of only algae and seagrass.

History

Sharp Finned Sea Turtles have evolved from Green Turtles which are part of the Cheloniidae family and are closely related to the loggerhead, hawksbill, kemps, and the Australian flat back turtles. When turtles are ready to lay eggs, they lay them on the same beaches that they were born on, decreasing the confusion of finding a safe spot for their babies. In addition, turtles are often hunted for illegal shell trade. The shells are mainly used for jewelry such as necklaces or rings. Aside from poaching, they get caught in fishing gear, swallow various plastics they have found in the water, and experience storms caused by global warming.

Evolution

They do not have many predators aside from tiger sharks. Males are larger than females, and mate more often as well. Their large flippers and arrow dynamic body shape makes them swim fast as they attempt to escape sharks. Their shells are brown and grey, mimicking a rock as they stand on the ocean floor, and their skin is a neutral sandy color, blending into the sandy ocean floor when the flip over. When they are young their diet consists of insects, crustaceans, seagrass, and worms, but then they are adults they are full herbivores, eating only seagrass and algae. Even though they seem flawless now, with an accessible source of food, being able to blend into the sandy ocean floor or being able to look like rocks, and having sharp fins to cut themselves out of plastic, they were not always this way. Since they get caught in fishing gear and plastic 6 pack cases so often, they have learned to adapt by having sharp fins to cut themselves free. When they swallow plastic, there is a digestive coating around it as it goes through their body, making it have no effect on their lungs or stomach.

Summary

The green turtles are important to their ecosystem as they eat and control seagrass, and they also face many challenges to their survival while they are living in coastal waters or lagoons. They have sharp fins helping them cut fishing rope, and they have a digestive coating that makes them able to digest plastics. Additionally, they have a sandy or neutral color shell, making them blend into the sandy ocean floor, or even to deceive sharks into thinking they are a big rock. Females reproduce annually, and they lay their eggs in shallow waters near beaches. Therefore, green turtles face many challenges in their coastal ecosystems, but they have adapted to overcome them.

Works Cited

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“Green Sea Turtle.” Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey Bay Aquarium , 2019, https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals-and-exhibits/animal-guide/reptiles/green-sea-turtle.

“Green Sea Turtle.” National Geographic, Photos by Joel Startoe, 24 Sept. 2018, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/g/green-sea-turtle/.

“Green Sea Turtle.” National Wildlife Federation, https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Reptiles/Sea-Turtles/Green-Sea-Turtle.

“Green Sea Turtle.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Dec. 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_sea_turtle.

“Information About Sea Turtles: Green Sea Turtle.” Sea Turtle Conservancy, 2019, https://conserveturtles.org/information-sea-turtles-green-sea-turtle/.

Noaa. “Green Turtle.” NOAA, https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/green-turtle.

“Sea Turtle Threats.” SEE Turtles, https://www.seeturtles.org/sea-turtles-threats.