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Gulfweed - Sargassum filipendula
Kingdom - Chromista
Phylum - Phaeophyta
Class - Phaeophyceae
Order - Fucales
Family - Sargassaceae
Genus - Sargassum
Species - Sargassum filipendula
Found abundtly near beach drifts in warm tropical climates. It is a free floating red or brown algae and can be used as a food source, home and breeding reservoir for many types of marine life.
Sea Grass - Halophila decipiens
Kingdom - Plantea
Phylum - Anthophyta
Class - Magnoliopsida
Order - Alismatales
Family - Hydrocharitaceae
Genus - Thalassia
Species - Halophila decipiens
These underwater sea meadows are very common and form a green buffet for many underwater species. Smaller species like to call these meadows home.
Bottlenose Dolphin - Tursiops truncatus
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Artiodactyla
Family - Delphinidae
Genus - Tursiops
Species - Tursiops Truncatus
Bottlenose dolphins are very common around the same tropical waters as leatherback sea turtles.
Common Gull - Larus Canus
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Aves
Order - Charadriiformes
Family - Laridea
Genus - Larus Linnaeus
Species - Larus Canus
Common gulls, often called seagulls are very common in areas where leatherback turtles habitate.
Moon Jelly - Aurelia Aurita
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Cnidaria
Class - Scyphozoa
Order - Semaeostameae
Family - Ulmaridae
Genus - Aurelia
Species - Aurelia Aurita
Moon jellies are a common marine invertebrate and one of the primary food sources for leatherback turtles.
Sea Squirt - Ascidiacea
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Cnidaria
Class - Anthozoa
Order - Ascidiacea
Family - Mogulidae
Genus - Mogula
Species -Tunicate
Sea squirts are tuberous oceanic animals that permanently fix themselves to hard surfaces such as boat hulls, crabs, or pier pilings and are also known as tunicates. They are another abundant snack enjoyed by leatherback sea turtles.
Manatee - Trichechus Manatus
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Mammalia
Order - Sirenia
Family - Trichechidae
Genus - Trichechus
Species - Trichechus manatus
Manatees share a habitat with leatherback sea turtles although leatherbacks prefer to be alone. Manatees are currently a threatened species.
Sand Piper - Actitis hypoleucos
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Aves
Order - Charadriiformes
Family - Scolopacidae
Genus - Actitis
Species - Actitis hypoleucos
Although the population is declining due to loss of habitat, the sand piper is still relatively common. They frequent shores and beach lines picking insects from the air or shallow waters.
Karenia brevis
Kingdom - Chromisra
Phylum - Myzozoa
Class - Dinophyceae
Order - Gymnodiniales
Family - Brachidiniaceae
Genus - Karenia
Species - Karenia Brevis
Karenia Brevis is a tiny, single-celled, photosynthetic organism known as dinoflagellate and is responsible for "Red Tide". Red tide is a type of algae bloom that is capable of producing toxins that can kill marine organisms. Very common.
Cyanobacteria
Kingdom - Bacteria
Phylum - Cyanobacteria Cavalier
Class - Cyanophyceae
Order - Chroococcales
Family - Cyanobacteriaceae Komárek
Genus - Prochlorococcus
Species - Cyanophyta
Cyanobacteria is a small uni-cellular, gram-negative organism often known as blue-green algae and found in all forms of water. Very common.
A leatherback sea turtle has an important role in the marine ecosystem. They prefer to feed in the pelagic zone or the open ocean. Their main diet consists of soft bodied prey such as jelly fish. They have been know to dive as deep as the aphotic zone of the ocean and return to the photic zone to replenish oxygen. They rarely take advantage of the intidal zone unless they are laying eggs in nests as leatherback turtles can produce their own body heat and do not need to bask in the sun as other species do. They are labeled as both predator and prey in the marine food web. They are prey as young hatchlings and predators that consume other invertebrates.
One of the most important roles of the leatherback sea turtle is the amount of jellyfish they consume. Without their help keeping the jellyfish population in check, there would be an over abundance of jellyfish. Jellyfish eat fish larvae and seaweed. Too many jellyfish would result in a decreased population of fish . Unfortunately with the decrease in sea turtle population and global warming, we are already seeing a rapidly growing jellyfish population.
References
Retrieved [April 12, 2023], from the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS), www.itis.gov, CC0
https://doi.org/10.5066/F7KH0KBK
WoRMS Editorial Board (2023). World Register of Marine Species. Available from https://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ. Accessed 2023-04-13. doi:10.14284/170
Retrieved (April 12, 2023) from Sea Turtle Conservacy. Information About Sea Turtles: Leatherback Sea Turtle – Sea Turtle Conservancy (conserveturtles.org)
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