8/18/18
A rare leatherback turtle found
dead off the Ċirkewwa coast died from pneumonia, though its health had been
weakened by ingested plastics, the environment watchdog said on Friday.
Weighing 190 kilogrammes, this
rare specimen, 1.85 metres long, was first spotted last Thursday at about
midday floating between Ras il-Qala and Taħt it-Trunċiera off the coast of
Qala.
Leatherbacks are the largest sea
turtle species and among the heaviest modern reptiles globally. They can weigh
as much as 900 kilos and do not have a hard outer shell but a carapace that is
elongated and covered by skin and oily flesh, which is what gave the turtle its
name.
The dead turtle, found
entangled in fishing nets, was recovered by the Armed Forces
of Malta in a joint operation with the Environment and Resources Authority and
the Civil Protection Department. It was then taken to the Ċirkewwa quay before
further examination to find the cause of death.
The ERA said on Friday that a
necropsy carried out by Anthony Gruppetta on behalf of Nature Trust Malta
showed the turtle had died of pneumonia that developed into a generalised
inflammation. It was also noted that the animal had been severely weakened by
the ingestion of plastic, found in its intestines.
These turtles are the only ones
which feed exclusively on jellyfish and similar creatures, hence they are very
susceptible to plastics in the sea, which they mistake for food.
“
Along with all marine turtles,
leatherbacks have enjoyed protection in Malta since 1992
”
The Dermochelys coriacae, known
in Maltese as fekruna sewda, is not a common turtle species in the
Mediterranean.
While a previous stranding
occurred in July 2015, most confirmed sightings go back decades.
The environment watchdog noted
that the most common species found in Maltese waters was the loggerhead turtle
(Caretta caretta in Latin). As for leatherbacks, the indications are that this
migratory species belongs to a subpopulation from the Atlantic Ocean, which
occasionally enters the Mediterranean.
Along with all marine turtles,
leatherbacks have enjoyed protection in Malta since 1992 through legislation
which, at the time, reflected the obligations of the Barcelona Convention.
Though their distribution was wide, the ERA said their population had seriously
declined globally. The northwest Atlantic populations were usually the ones
that swam into the Mediterranean, and their normal nesting areas were actually
in the south-eastern US and the Caribbean Sea.
The leatherback turtle has no
claws on its flippers, which are more elongated and paddle-like than those of
other sea turtles.
It is also considered to be
special be-cause it has the widest geographical range of any of the sea
turtles. It tolerates very cold waters, unlike other reptiles, due to
adaptations in its circulation, high oil content and enormous size.
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