Articles on Turtles

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Turtle hatchlings could be released into the Murray River to manage the sudden influx of dead carp. Ricky Spencer

Millions of rotting fish: turtles and crays can save us from Carpageddon

Ricky Spencer, Western Sydney University; Claudia Santori, University of Sydney; James Van Dyke, Western Sydney University, and Michael B Thompson, University of Sydney

Millions of dead carp will fill the Murray-Darling Basin after the government releases a targeted virus. Scavengers like turtles and crayfish might help – as long as we protect them.
A study has shown that turtle hatchlings lend each other a flipper digging out of the sand to save energy. Banco de Imagem Projeto Tamar/Flickr

Turtle hatchlings lend each other a flipper to save energy

Emily Smith, The Conversation and Ivy Shih, The Conversation

New research suggests turtle hatchlings work together with clutch mates to escape their underground nests.
One of the several precious giant tortoises recently found on Volcano Wolf, Galápagos Islands. Luciano Beheregaray

How we rediscovered ‘extinct’ giant tortoises in the Galápagos Islands – and how to save them

Luciano Beheregaray, Flinders University and Adalgisa 'Gisella' Caccone, Yale University

When 100-year-old giant tortoise Lonesome George died in 2012, the world thought his species was lost forever. We went to the Galápagos Islands looking for ‘extinct’ tortoises – and we found them.
The Bellinger Snapping Turtle is under threat, and that bodes ill for the entire ecosystem. Copyright: Gary Bell/OceanwideImages.com

Turtle extinction event bodes ill for our waterways

Ricky Spencer, Western Sydney University

The Bellinger River Snapping Turtle is under threat of extinction, and it suggests something very wrong with the whole ecosystem.
Open wide: don’t be fooled by the appearance of a Leatherback’s mouth, they eat only jellyfish. Tom Doyle

This summer at the beach, watch out for the world’s biggest turtle

Graeme Hays, Deakin University and Margie Morrice, Deakin University

Going to the beach this summer? If you’re in southern Australia, keep your eyes peeled for the world’s largest turtle, the leatherback. If you do, you can report sightings to researchers at Deakin University…

Baby turtles confirmed to swim, not drift

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Baby loggerhead turtles have been confirmed to actively swim, rather than drift, into ocean currents. National Oceanic and…
Green turtles can travel immense distances using stored fat reserves. R.D Kirkby & B.S Kirkby

Space tracking reveals turtles’ record‑breaking ocean swim

Graeme Hays, Deakin University

A satellite-tracking study of green turtles in the Indian Ocean has rewritten the record books for long-distance marine animal migration, showing that they can travel some 4000 kilometres without stopping…
Garom, a sculpture made from discarded “ghost nets” in the Torres Strait. Australian Museum/Supplied

Ghostly art, made from debris that menaces marine life

Scott Mitchell, Australian Museum and Erik van Sebille, UNSW

With more than half a million people participating in last Sunday’s Clean Up Australia Day, it’s perhaps not surprising that some odd objects came to light. Not all the rubbish was on land, and not all…
Manners please: Eating eating fish with straw? PLOS ONE

The turtle that ate with a straw

Jon Tennant, Imperial College London

During the Mesozoic Era, between 252m and 66m years ago, the seas were ruled by a vast and intriguing array of reptiles. The most common ones were crocodiles (adapted to swimming in oceans), plesiosaurs…
Don’t be fooled, this little guy will grow to be the largest turtle in the world. Flickr/Jennie - My Travels

Australian endangered species: Leatherback Turtle

Mark Hamann, James Cook University and Kimberly Riskas, James Cook University

Note: since publishing the Leatherback Turtle has been removed from the critically endangered list. It is now considered to be vulnerable. Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) are the largest, oldest…
A female Hawksbill turtle nesting in northern Australia. Scott Whiting

Australian endangered species: Hawksbill Turtle

Mark Hamann, James Cook University and Kimberly Riskas, James Cook University

The Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is one of the seven species of marine turtles and one of six in the family Cheloniidae. It is easily distinguished from other turtle species by its beak-like…
The Western Swamp Tortoise was rediscovered in the 1950s. Nicola Mitchell

Australian endangered species: Western Swamp Tortoise

Nicola Mitchell, The University of Western Australia

The Western Swamp Tortoise (Pseudemydura umbrina) is Australia’s rarest reptile. Originally it was known only from a single specimen collected in 1839 from an unknown location in Western Australia. No…
An accurate list of potential sea turtle nesting sites could help researchers track the creatures’ response to global warming, experts said. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ballena

New map shows turtle nest spots cut off by conflict, at risk as globe warms

Sunanda Creagh, The Conversation

A new map of potential sea turtle nesting spots, including remote locations cut off by conflict, will help researchers track how the reptiles respond to climate change, turtle experts said today. Sea turtles…
Eastern long-necked turtles, once common and abundant, are now greatly reduced throughout much of their range. Damien Naidoo

Life in the slow lane pushes turtles towards extinction

Kylie Williams, Charles Sturt University

Turtles are great evolutionary survivors. With their iconic shells and ponderously slow pace of life, they have plodded through 220 million years of natural selective pressures. In the face of forces that…

Related Topics

  1. Climate change
  2. Conservation
  3. Ecology
  4. Endangered species
  5. Freshwater turtles
  6. Marine life
  7. Oceans
  8. Reptiles
  9. Sea turtles
  10. Wildlife

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