Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

Olive Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea)  by Alma Lopez

(Olive Ridley Project)

About

Olive Ridley turtles are often known as Pacific Ridley Sea turtles. Their name is linked to their olive green heart-shaped shell. They are considered the smallest, in size, of the turtle species. The average size of an adult turtle ranges from 2 to 2.5 feet in length and weighs about 80 to 100 pounds. The females lay an average of 100 to 110 eggs per bundle and usually nest 1 to 3 times per season. The Olive Ridley turtles are known for their arribada (meaning “arrival”) behavior. Arribada, or arribazone, is defined as the mass nesting process of the Olive Ridleys.

Geographic

The light orange is the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Range
(National Geographic)

They are located in the tropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indians Oceans and can mostly be found in the beaches of Mexico south of Colombia, eastern India and Sri Lanka; a small amount can also be found along the West coast of Africa. Although they don’t nest along U.S coast beaches, they sometimes use the southwestern coast water during feeding migration.

Populations Changes

The Olive Ridley Sea turtle is the most abundant sea turtle in the world and its population varies within various regions. Even though they are considered the most abundant, it wasn’t until recent years that they suffered from commercial exploitation reducing their population. In the eastern Pacific, at least 10 million Olive Ridleys inhabited the seas off of the coast of Mexico until more than 1 million of them were commercially harvested in 1968. This led to major decline in population for the Olive Ridleys.

Listing Dates and Types of listing

Dated listed: July 28, 1978

According to the Recovery Plan for the U.S. Pacific populations, the Olive Ridley turtles are classified as endangered along the coast of Mexico and threatened in the rest of the regions in the Pacific. 

Causes of Threats and listing
Egg poaching and over-harvesting of the Olive Ridleys in Mexico led to a decline of all but one of the largest turtle nesting populations in the area. An attempt to protect the Olive Ridley sea turtles, the government made egg poaching illegal in most countries in the eastern Pacific coast. However, egg poaching is still a threat as laws are hardly imposed and because egg poaching helps maintain a stable economy. The Olive Ridleys are exploited for food, bone meal, oil, leather, fertilizer, and bait. In the mid-1960s there was a major decline in their population when Mexico started a turtle leather trade with Europe (mainly Italy) and Japan; this was one of the largest over-harvest. Fifteen years following the decline, millions of turtles were victims until the establish trade industry was banned.

Olive Ridley caught in a fishing net (Grind Tv)

While Mexico is the primary location of the endangered  Olive Ridleys, the U.S. water is classified as the primary threat to the Olive Ridleys because they are incidentally taken by fisheries and boat collisions. There are a few incidents where the sea turtles would incidentally be captured and/or killed by U.S. tuna purses seine fishermen in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP); this led to an annual mortality of less than 100 turtles.

Another challenge that these vertebrates face is the mystery of their arribadas. Females tend to travel a hundred to a thousand of miles to return to their birth beaches to nest. The danger of this is that biologists can’t predict when this event starts so the locations where they return are unpredictable in all the arribadas. This also creates a challenge for researchers and biologists because it difficult to see what type of environment these turtles need to reproduce.

Description of Recovery Plan

Date Issued: January 12, 1998
Name of Plan: Recovery Plan for US Pacific Population of the Olive Ridley Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)

Recovery Criteria: To consider delisting all of the following must be met:

1) All regional stocks that use U.S. waters have been identified to source beaches based on reasonable geographic parameters.

2) Foraging populations are statistically and significantly increasing at several key foraging grounds within each stock region.

3) All females estimated to nest annually (FENA) at "source beaches" are either stable or increasing for over 10 years.

4) A management plan based on maintaining sustained populations for turtles is in effect.

5) International agreements are in place to protect shared stocks.

Actions Needed: Three major actions are needed to achieve recovery:

1) Minimize incidental mortalities of turtles by commercial fishing operations.

2) Support the efforts of Mexico and the countries of Central America to census and protect nesting Olive Ridleys, their eggs and nesting beaches.

3) Identify stock home ranges using DNA analysis.

What can we do?

Even though there is a recovery plan in attempt to save these vertebrates, as of August 2007 they don’t have a final approved recovery plan. As we wait for the plan to be finalized there are some actions we can take to help reduced threats to the Olive Ridleys. The following are a few examples:

(World Wildlife Fund)

1. Adopt a Turtle: https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Sea-Turtle.aspx?sc=AWY1302WC922&_ga=1.17213369.1046383166.1479755118

2. Volunteer/educational programs/Billion Baby Turtles: http://www.seeturtles.org/olive-ridley-turtles/

3. Reduce our consumption of sea food.

Other Resources

National Geographic: Over 100,000 Sea Turtles Nest at the Same Time|National Geographic https://youtu.be/tEd_g9RypHE

Ted-Ed|The Survival of the Sea Turtle: website: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-survival-of-the-sea-turtle Youtube: https://youtu.be/t-KmQ6pGxg4

World Wildlife Fund-Entangled Olive Ridley Turtle Cut free from Debris and Release: https://youtu.be/GfqtYq-lIt4

Work Cited

National Geographic. “Olive Ridley Sea Turtle” National Geographic. National Geographic, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016 < http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/olive-ridley-sea-turtle/>

National Wildlife Federation. “Olive Ridley Sea Turtle” National Wildlife Federation. National Wildlife Federation. n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2016. < http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/amphibians-reptiles-and-fish/sea-turtles/olive-ridley-turtle.aspx>

Olive Ridley Project “Sea Turtles” Olive Ridley Project. Olive Ridley Project . n.d. Wed. 26 Nov 2016. <http://oliveridleyproject.org/sea-turtles/>

Strege, David. "Massive Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Deaths Reported off India." GrindTV.com. N.p., 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 26 Nov. 2016. <http://www.grindtv.com/wildlife/massive-olive-ridley-sea-turtle-deaths-reported-off-india/#01ye8W8649AsDjt4.97>

U.S Fish & Wildlife Services. “5-yr Review Plan”. U.S Fish & Wildlife Services Services Ecos. U.S Fish & Wildlife Services. 21 Aug 2007. Online PDF <http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/five_year_review/doc1077.pdf>

U.S Fish & Wildlife Services. “Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea)” U.S Fish & Wildlife Services North Florida Ecological Services. U.S Fish & Wildlife Services. Jan 2015 .Web. 26 Nov. 2016. < https://www.fws.gov/northflorida/seaturtles/turtle%20factsheets/olive-ridley-sea-turtle.htm>

U.S Fish & Wildlife Services. “Recovery Plan for US Pacific Populations of the Olive Ridley” U.S Fish & Wildlife Services Ecos. U.S Fish & Wildlife Services. 12 Jan 1998. Online Pdf <http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/981201a.pdf> 

World Wildlife Fund. “Olive Ridley Turtle”. World Wildlife Fund. World Wildlife Fund. n.d. Web 25 Nov. 2016.  < http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/olive-ridley-turtle>

NO!...It’s a Glaucomys Sabrinus

NO!...It’s a Glaucomys Sabrinus

By: Jeremy Lung

1. Description and Ecology of Organism 

It a bird! It a plane! No!...It’s a Glaucomys sabrinus!  

But what is a Glaucomys sabrinus?...well it is commonly referred to as a Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel.  First discovered in the 1950’s, this nocturnal rodent captivated scientists as they tried to figure out how these rodents were able to swiftly and safely “fly” from one tree to another ("Species Profile”).

http://www.animalspot.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/NORTHERN-FLYING-SQUIRREL-2.jpg

This brightly colored northern flying squirrel—that is brown on top and gray on the belly—is able to successfully “fly” from place to place due to its loose skin that stretches across all four of its limbs (“Appalachian Northern”). The bird does not actually “fly,” but rather glides from place to place, or as Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story says it, “falling with style.”  The squirrel uses trigonometry to
calculate how far to "fly" to its desired location by walking along two points on a branch and finding the center point (Perez-Orella).  It will also use its “rudder-like” tail to navigate itself as it glides, allowing the squirrel to make turns up to 90-degrees in the air (@nwf).

http://ns1.iliketowastemytime.com/sites/default/files/southern-flying-squirrel1.jpg

Although the squirrels are most commonly referred to as r-selected species, they have traits that make them a k-selected species.  For example, newborn squirrels are completely helpless and need the aid of their mother for the first month (@nwf).  There has even been a study where an older female squirrel lived with 4 or 5 other younger squirrels that could have lived on their own (Raleigh Ecological).  It appears that the “mother” was taking care of her young, although they did not necessarily need her help. 

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/b3/79/88/b3798848558eb80a3199510acec9cb91.jpg

Though the Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel can glide from one place to another, it spends most of its time on the ground ("Species Profile”).  It tends to scavenge for strong scented fungi and lichen to eat that is located on the bottom of most roots of conifer and hardwood trees (“Species Profile”).  The Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel helps the environment by consuming the fungi and keeping their levels in control, ensuring that they are not overgrown.  Without this specie, the forest would be covered with fungi and lichen, and the balance of the environment would be offset. 

      

2. Geographic and Population Changes

Carolina Northern Flying Squirrels tend to live in the conifer and hardwood forests found in certain sections of the Appalachian Mountains (Raleigh Ecological).  At 4,000+ feet in elevation, these trees make up the forest, and make it a perfect place for the squirrels to thrive.  Not only do the squirrels eat fungi off the roots of the trees, they also commonly rely on them for shelter.  They create dens that are usually in woodpecker cavities, rotten knotholes, or rock dens, and nests compiled of sticks call “drevs,” (Raleigh Ecological).

While the “Glaucomys” species can be found in the northern parts of North America, as depicted in the first map, “Glaucomys sabrinus” are primarily found in a select region of the Appalachian Mountains, as shown in the second map ("Species Profile”). 

 

http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/900924c.pdf

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has been unable to produce and report an accurate population count for the Glaucomys sabrinus species, but experiments have been conducted in an effort to discover a trend ("Species Profile”).  The habitat makes it extremely difficult to study population, and in light of this, researchers began setting traps. With these traps, said researchers could estimate the amount of squirrels caught compared to the amount of traps set, and after a few years, were able to note a decline in population levels ("Species Profile”).  It was also noted that the population would continue to consistently decline if human-intervention was not implemented ("Species Profile”).  In regards to this, a fun fact is that due to the location that it presides in and the fossils in the surrounding area, it is believed that these rodents are relics of the Ice Age’s “Appalachian Northern”.

3. Listing Date and Type of Listing

Due to their nocturnal lifestyles in those dense Appalachian mountain range forests, the Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel was only recently found in the 1950’s (@nwf).  On November 21^st, 1984, the proposal to put the flying squirrel on the endangered list was filed (@nwf).  By July 1^st, 1985, the Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel was finally approved to be there (@nwf).

4. Cause of Listing and Main Threats to its Continued Existence 

http://appvoices.org/images/voice/2011_05AugustSeptember/x_MG_2569.jpg.pagespeed.ic.TqGS17_OBp.jpg

According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the main threats to the Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel are human-related activities ("Species Profile”).  Although there is no specific activity that contributed to the listing of these squirrels, activities such as mining, logging, polluting, and the building of roads have been degrading and fragmenting the surrounding habitat for years ("Species Profile”).  The squirrels need large, dense, continuous forests.  If the habitat is consistently changing, they will never have the chance to survive.  When humans build roads or mines, they degrade and fragment the habitat, making the process of navigating to find food and shelter far more difficult.  When humans log, they are destroying the forests and taking away places for birds to live and feed off of.  Pollution has also been contributing to the degradation of the habitat as litter and acidic rain created by carbon emissions end up in the woods Glaucomys sabrinus call home.

5. Description of Recovery Plan

According to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) report on Carolina Northern Flying Squirrels, the Recovery Plan includes (1) determining the distribution of the squirrel, (2) getting adequate protection against human-related activities, (3) having a better understanding of the ecology, (4) noting the response of the modifications of the study, and lastly (5) aiming to enhance the habitat ("Species Profile”). 

  _{https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/US-FWS-logo.png}

6. What Can You Do?

So, what can we do?  We can stay on designated paths and not disturb the surrounding environment (@nwf).  Leaving the habitat untouched allows the forest to grow naturally and successfully without hindrances from humans.  Living a healthy and sustainable life will also contribute to helping to save the Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel (Raleigh Ecological).  Please do your part to save the Glaucomys sabrinus population.

7. Other Resources

@nwf. "Flying Squirrels - National Wildlife Federation." National Wildlife Federation.  N.p.,        n.d.Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

“Appalachian Northern Flying Squirrel." Appalachian Northern Flying Squirrel (1985): n. pag. FWS. USFWS. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

Perez-Orella, Carolina, and Albrecht I. Schulte-Hostedde. "Carolina Northern Flying  Squirrel." Can. J. Zool. Canadian Journal of Zoology 83.10 (2005): 1381-385.   FWS. USFWS. Web. 12 Nov. 2016.

Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife. "Raleigh Ecological Services Field Office." Raleigh Ecological Services Field Office. USFWS, 6 Aug. 2015. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife. "Species Profile for Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys Sabrinus Coloratus)." Species Profile for Carolina Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys Sabrinus Coloratus). USFWS, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

The Swim To Recovery, Macie Matthews

The Swim To Recovery
By: Macie Matthews

My favorite memory of marine wildlife would be when my family took a trip out to Maui. During our
 trip we decided to go snorkeling. One turtle in particular bonded with my younger brother and proceeded to head-butt him in the stomach continuously the remainder of the time in the water. 

However, with the declination of the species, my family may never be able to experience such an event ever again, nor will anybody else.

On December 15, 1995 the Fish and Wildlife Services created a plan to help recover the lost populations of this particular creature. The Eretmochelys imbricata, more commonly known as the Hawksbill Sea Turtle are usually found in the U.S, Atlantic, Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico. Placed on the endangered list in 1993, this species' recovery plan is long at length and complex in design. This plan contains 41 actions in a range of priorities listed through the sites below:

1-16: https://www.flickr.com/photos/145948049@N04/shares/S9VE64
17-40: https://www.flickr.com/photos/145948049@N04/shares/HrygE6
41: https://www.flickr.com/photos/145948049@N04/shares/NACcm9

According to Fish and Wildlife Services, "Hawksbills are recognized by their relatively small size (carapace length less than 95 cm), narrow head with tapering "beak," thick, overlapping shell scutes, and strongly serrated posterior margin of the carapace." Hawksbill hatchlings are of uniform color however as they mature, they tend to vary in hues; ranging from the dark browns and blacks to the light yellows. Because these sea turtles are so highly migratory, it is hard to complete define their "geographic scope"; but are usually documented within the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, reaching some other adjacent waters as well. According to WWF Global, "Hawksbills declined globally by over 80% during the last century...There are difficulties in accurately assessing population size, but a recent estimate of adult nesting females of 8,000+ has been made. There are only 5 populations worldwide with more than 1,000 females nesting annually." There are many threats that continue to harm marine ecosystems. However, there are 8 main threats to the history of the Hawksbill sea turtles. 

Within the last 100 years, millions of hawksbill turtles have been captured and killed for their shells in the markets of Europe, the United States and Asia. Although the market has died down the past couple of years, it continues to damage the populations and ecosystem, "Conservatively estimating that 30% of the turtles taken for the trade were nesting females, nearly 400,000 adult female Hawksbills were killed for the Japanese market in those years, a time frame that approximates a single Hawksbill generation. (The Red List)" Another big detriment to the distribution of these turtles is egg collection. Egg collection is a part of many coastal traditions. People collect the eggs off the beach to fee their communities, however this affects the diminishing size of the organism. Other big causes of the deterioration include slaughter for meat, destruction of nesting habitats, destruction of foraging habitats, hybridization with other species, entanglement and ingestion of pollutants, and oil pollution.


Banjo, an adult hawksbill sea turtle was released on July 22, 2013 with a satellite transmitter after nesting on Lover's Beach, Nevis. As of November 29, 2016, Banjo was recorded to be in the North Atlantic Ocean, Southwest of the Isla Palominos. According to Sea Turtle Conservancy, "since most research conducted on marine turtles has been carried out on nesting beaches and well over 90% of a sea turtle’s life is spent in the water — feeding, mating, migrating and doing whatever else a sea turtle does when no one is watching, we are missing important information that can help us better protect sea turtles. In particular, to adequately protect sea turtles in all their habitats, we must learn 

more about their migratory patterns, their behavior at sea, where their marine habitats are located, how the turtles use these different habitats, and the migration routes turtles travel between habitats...The satellite transmitter attached to a turtle is controlled by a micro-processor that controls when the transmitter sends information to the satellites. The satellites are operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organization (2) and have special instruments that are designed to listen for transmitters like those we place on turtles and to determine where those transmitters are located. The data received from the turtle’s transmitter comes in the form of digital codes, which must be deciphered. The satellites relay the transmitter data to base stations on Earth. The base stations then relays the data directly to researchers by e-mail." 

As a growing society we need to understand that this species as well as many others will continue to die off if we do not push for their salvation and conservation. We need to make sure that they do indeed make a full recovery and we are not just trying to "save" the turtles but reestablish their population so that it can survive and reproduce without our interference. There are many ways we can each help push towards reestablishing this species whether it being small like reducing the amount of plastic or harmful chemicals we use to something bigger like donating to a cause such as GoodShop.com or STC (1) or "adopting" a turtle. Each pave the way to helping researchers continue to collect data on how we can all help this organism come back from the depths and into the light.

1. http://assets.worldwildlife.org/photos/163/images/carousel_small/SCR_290360hawskbill-why-matter-LG.jpg?1345565532

2.http://www.clker.com/cliparts/2/6/9/8/11949846371055890278sub_subacqueo_architetto_01.svg.hi.png

3. "Get Involved: Simple Actions You Can Take - Sea Turtle Conservancy." Sea Turtle Conservancy. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

4. "Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) :: NOAA Fisheries." NOAA Fisheries. N.p., n.d. Web. 29      Nov. 2016.

5. http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/38/3886/GHKJF00Z/posters/beverly-joubert-eggs-in-the-nest-of-a-hawksbill-turtle.jpg

6.Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife. "Species and Populations with Recovery Plans." Species and Populations with Recovery Plans. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.

7."Support the." Eretmochelys imbricata (Hawksbill Turtle). N.p., 2016. Web. 25 Nov. 2016.

8."Trackingmap - Sea Turtle Conservancy." Sea Turtle Conservancy. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016.
WWF. "Hawksbill Turtle." WWF. World Wide Fund, 2016. Web. 27 Nov. 2016.