Global turtle study highlights extinction risk and roadmap to recovery

JUNE 23, 2020

by Western Sydney University

A Western Sydney University researcher has contributed to the first global and comprehensive assessment of the world's turtle and tortoise species. The study found half of all 360 turtle and tortoise species worldwide face imminent extinction, but action undertaken now could reverse the decline and save many species.

Published today in Current Biology, 51 experts with the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group, are calling for the end of the trade of wild turtles for food and pets as key to a global conservation strategy.

Hundreds of thousands of turtles and tortoises are collected for the wildlife trade every year. Turtles and tortoises are long-living and slow-growing species, which means they can't reproduce fast enough to replenish populations that are taken from the wild. Three species of turtles and tortoises have gone extinct in the last two centuries, but that number will climb if the trade isn't curbed.

Co-author, Associate Professor Ricky Spencer from the School of Science at Western Sydney University, said Australia is not immune to the impacts of turtle trading, and attacks from invasive predators, road mortality, habitat destruction and drought, are all factors contributing to the decline of Australia's most common turtle species by up to 91 per cent.

"In Australia, we are seeing no signs of turtles in some areas, where we previously recorded them in huge numbers. Foxes are the main persistent source of predation, with growing urbanisation, poor water quality and habitation destruction compounding the issues turtles face," explained Associate Professor Spencer.

"The exotic pet trade and illegal smuggling of wildlife both in and out of Australia is also a contributing factor. It is big business."

The study reinforces the essential roles turtles play in the world's ecosystems. They provide critical services such as energy flow, nutrient recycling, scavenging, soil dynamics and seed dispersal in the terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems in which they occur.

"The research we are conducting at the Experimental Wetland Facility on the University's Hawkesbury campus shows that without turtles in our rivers, water quality would reach toxic levels during our hot summers. During the recent fish kills in the Murray-Darling River system, turtles were likely instrumental in cleaning up the river," said Associate Professor Spencer.

The researchers recommend captive breeding and head starting programs as ways to help certain species of turtles and tortoises. But to be effective, there must be natural habitat remaining to release the animals into. Species like the Australian western swamp turtle were rescued from near extinction by captive breeding efforts, but it is difficult to breed some species in captivity.

Read on

Did a Jurassic Dinosaur Smoosh a Turtle? A smashed shell may have been crumpled by an ambling dinosaur – via Herp Digest

Scientific American Blog, By Brian Switek on September 11, 2019

  

Once upon a time, in the Jurassic, there was a turtle. And this turtle got smooshed.

By itself, finding a smashed Mesozoic turtle isn’t especially remarkable. Stumbling upon an “exploded turtle” is a regular part of fieldwork in many places. But the Paléontologie A16 project in the Swiss Jura Mountains found one that appears to have suffered an unusual fate. If paleontologist Christian Püntener and colleagues are correct, they’ve uncovered a rare occurrence of a turtle smashed by a dinosaur.

The turtle in question, assigned to the species Plesiochelys bigleri, was found among strata formed on a Jurassic tidal flat. There are other fossils here. Most are dinosaur tracks belonging to both long-necked, herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs and three-toed theropod dinosaurs. But comparatively few body fossils have turned up at the site, the researchers report, with the smashed Plesiochelys being among the exceptions. And what makes it special is that the turtle was found in layers just below, and close to, dinosaur footprints.

Some of the nearby tracks were made by a sauropod dinosaur not unlike Apatosaurus, a multi-ton plant-eater with broad feet. But the turtle doesn’t appear to be roadkill. Püntener and colleagues suspect that the turtle died out on the tidal flat and was at least partly buried, with the shell holding up better than the rest of the body. 

Then, at some point later, a wandering sauropod stepped on the sediment above the shell and crushed part of the fossil-in-the-making. Track and shell were both preserved, a time capsule of a passing Jurassic moment.

But could there be another explanation? The fossils are associated with each other, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they represent an interaction while one of the animals was alive. Püntener and colleagues offer a few lines of evidence to support their case.

Despite being smooshed, the Plesiochelys bones are well-preserved. The turtle shell was not tumbled along or roughly transported from another spot. Some parts of the shell also seem to be rotated in a way consistent with a sauropod step. Large sauropod tracks were found nearby, and seem a good fit for a downward force that could have pulverized part of the shell.

The problem is that the exact place the shell was recovered was not well-mapped, the researchers report, and there is no direct connection between shell and footprint. Not to mention that other forces, like compression of sediment over time, can crush and distort skeletal parts. The connection between turtle and dinosaur is very tempting, but the case isn’t entirely clear-cut. The idea is plausible and entirely within the realm of possibility. Dinosaurs undoubtedly smashed turtle shells, intentionally or not, during the Mesozoic. But this case need a little bit more evidence to bring the scenario to life.

Yet, this is precisely the sort of hypothesis that can fuel images of the past. Even if the actual scenario for this specific fossil isn’t upheld by future study, we can still envision a hefty sauropod ambling over wet sediment, feeling some unexpected crunch beneath a foot before ambling on. The idea both takes us to the past and raises questions about how we can test events we can’t observe in person, a busted shell drawing our imaginations into the Jurassic.

Rescue Operation For Tallaght, Ireland  Amphibians After Wetland Home Destroyed – via Herp Digest

Rescue Operation For Wildlife experts are going to a site in Tallaght this afternoon to see if any animals can be rescued after their habitat was destroyed.

The former patch of waste ground at Sean Walsh Park had become an important location for urban wildlife.

But it's been bulldozed, wiping out thousands of creatures -- and nobody seems to know why.

Local councillors say they heard the news on Twitter.

Herpetelogical Society of Ireland Science Officer Collie Ennis says it's devastating news.

"A beautiful little oasis perfectly placed between Tallaght, the parks around the area, and the Dublin Mountains," he said. "It was used by all these creatures as a little escape route to and from the mountains, in and out of the urban areas -- and now it's just been absolutely flattened," he said.

"It went from looking like a small little jungle to looking like the surface of the moon in the space of a week," he said.

Mr Ennis is headed to the wetlands this afternoon with a number of volunteers to see if any creatures can still be saved.

Ancient fossil turtle had no shell

By Laura Foster Science reporter, BBC News

22 August 2018

Scientists have found new evidence confirming that turtles once lived without shells.

The almost-complete fossil dates back 228 million years and is bigger than a double bed.

It was discovered in the Guizhou province of south west China

Dr Nicholas Fraser, keeper of natural sciences at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, said: "It looked like a turtle but then lacked everything of the shell underneath and also the one on top."

"It has the scaffolding in place for the shell to go on to but it doesn't have the shell."

"It has a very characteristic beak at the front end."

The ancient reptile has been named Eorhynchochelys sinensis, which means "Dawn turtle with a beak from China".

continued

Turtle brought to near space by China's 'Traveler 3' – via Herp Digest

GTN.com Tech & Science 10/28/17

What is it like to watch the Earth 20 kilometers up from the ground? Touring the "near space" might be one of our travel options in the near future.

An aircraft developed by Kuang-Chi Group, a tech company based in Shenzhen, was tested successfully in northwestern China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Wednesday. Dubbed Traveler 3, the aircraft was off the ground for over four hours and accomplished a series of experiments.

Traveler 3 consists of a giant helium balloon and a small capsule that carried a live turtle during the test. Made of polyethylene, the balloon will expand to about 18.8 meters in diameter and 2,150 cubic meters in size upon reaching the "near space" that is more than 20 kilometers away from the ground.

The aircraft can achieve both autonomous control and long-distance control. Equipped with communication system, Traveler 3 can send back environmental parameter, status data, as well as videos and images to the Earth. The turtle inside the capsule was secured by an internal life-support system to make sure it stays alive during the test.

Travel 3 Consists of a giant hello balloon ad a small capsule/Photo via Kuang-Chi Group

“In the experiment we conducted this time, we built a small manned capsule with all the vital parts,” said Zhou Fei, chief commander of the Traveler 3 project. “We are trying to build a very big manned capsule, which is similar to a manned re-entry capsule that can accommodate six people.”

According to Kuang-Chi Group, the experiment was the first time a live animal had been safely brought into near space. The developer will continue to improve the technology to achieve the goal of offering commercial flights to human in the near future.

Bangkok production house releases clip of monster lizard swallowing giant turtle whole – via Herp Digest

By Laurel Tuohy May. 18, 2017, Coconuts Bangkok 

To see video go to http://tinyurl.com/llxbedf

Bangkok production house Rubber Knife Productions just released a short film that might teach even seasoned Bangkokians a thing or two they didn’t know about the city’s scariest creatures — monitor lizards.

The 5-minute clip, filmed over five afternoons in Rot Fai and Chatuchak Parks, was created for anyone that “appreciates nature, these awesome reptiles, and a good story,” said Director/Producer Kevin Richard.

“We wanted to do something educational, but also add a smidge of humor to it. We live in a rush 24/7 era. Often, the cool things are happening right in front of us and they are free.”

They featured monitor lizards, also called “hia” since the creatures often elicit this swear when spotted, because so many of them live close to the Rubber Knife office. Richard said, “We think they are amazing creatures who have passed the test of time and live harmoniously right here in Bangkok amidst the mayhem.”

“It’s a shame that they are looked at as a hindrance and are being ‘relocated’ from some parks to somewhere safer,” said Richard, referencing the lizards that were removed from Lumpini Park last year.

“They’ve been here way longer than we have. We should leave ‘em be.”

About the filming and the ending of the short lizard narrative, Richard said, “We got really lucky to capture the turtle scene. It was a total fluke. Jim (the director of photography) and I were just wrapping up for the day when we decided to check one more spot. The next thing you know — a hunt! That was day two. We came another three times along with our new guy, cameraman Dennis Natrayon, to grab the rest.”

So far, the creators are getting great feedback about the video. “We hope that the interest continues as we have a whole bunch of other things in the pipeline. Our dream would be to do this thing full-time. This has always been a pet project of ours when we are not working on corporate gigs as it puts us in total control of our storytelling and style.” 

The director added about the sad ending for the film’s turtle, “As cruel as it looked and as much as we felt bad and wanted to save the turtle, we didn’t want to disturb nature. Whether we were there or not, the same thing would have happened without the cameras rolling.”

Co-writer and voice-over artist Jeremy Linn chimed in with, “As brutal as it is, it is truly fascinating that that level of wild animal activity happens in the middle of a city of 10 million people.”

New species of freshwater turtle found in Papua New Guinea

17 February 2016

A new species of freshwater turtle has been discovered in Papua New Guinea, a mountainous and tropical country in the south Pacific Ocean.

The turtle is one of three distantly-related species found across Papua New Guinea and neighbouring parts of Indonesia.

The three species are thought to have evolved from a common ancestor about 17 to 19 million years ago.

One of the new turtle's unique features is its reddish colour.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/35593463

Tiny one-month-old turtle the size of a 50p coin found dumped in a wheelie bin

13:47, 19 NOV 2015

UPDATED 13:53, 19 NOV 2015

BY KELLY-ANN MILLS

The reptile, nicknamed Tiny Tina, was found cold, lethargic and hungry

Getty/SWNS

This tiny baby turtle which is the size of a 50p coin is recovering after being found dumped in a wheelie bin.

The reptile, nicknamed Tiny Tina, is thought to be just one month old and can be seen walking around in this cute footage.

She was found cold, lethargic and hungry in a dustbin and handed to Heath Veterinary Clinic in Burgess Hill, West Sussex who have nursed her reptile back to health.

Practice Manager Sarah Solomon said: "We were really shocked to have a turtle brought into the clinic and upset to find out she had been dumped.

Read more ...

76-million-year-old, pig-snouted turtle is ‘one of the weirdest turtles that ever lived’

OCTOBER 22, 2015

by Savanna Walker

A new species of turtle that lived 76 million years ago has been described as “one of the weirdest turtles that ever lived” by Joshua Lively, who studied the fossil and has recently published his analysis in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Found in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by a team from the Natural History Museum of Utah, the turtle was about two feet long, with a streamlined shell evolved for a life spent in rivers. But unlike any other turtle in history, the snout of this specimen had two openings, making it look like a turtle with a transplanted pig’s nose.

All other turtles have just one nasal opening, according to Time magazine. It’s been named Arvinachelys goldeni as a result of this strange feature, with the first part being derived from arvina, the Latin word for pig fat or bacon.

Where'd this ugly guy come from?

In the Late Cretaceous period when A. goldeni lived, western North America was an island continent named Laramidia and was separated from eastern North American by a large sea. It's already known that the dinosaurs of southern Laramidia diversified while isolated from their relatives in the northern parts of the continent, and did not seem to interbreed with the populations from the north.

With this new discovery, it would seem that the turtles of that period fit the same pattern. It's still unknown exactly why the southern populations were isolated from the north, but researchers have suggested rising sea levels and persistent climate changes prevented animals from ranging over wide sections of territory.

Read more at

One extinct turtle less: Turtle species in the Seychelles never existed - via Herp Digest

Date:
April 4, 2013

Source:
Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum

Summary:
The turtle species Pelusios seychellensis regarded hitherto as extinct never existed. Scientists discovered this based on genetic evidence.

The turtle species Pelusios seychellensis regarded hitherto as extinct never existed. Scientists at the Senckenberg Research Institute in Dresden discovered this based on genetic evidence. The relevant study was published today in the journal PLOS ONE.

Turtles are the vertebrates under the greatest threat. Among the approximately 320 turtle species, the species confined to islands have been especially hard hit -- humans have caused the extinction of a whole number of species. One of them -- or at least it was thought so -- is the Seychelles mud turtle Pelusios seychellensis. Just three specimens were collected at the end of the 19th century; they are still kept at the Natural History Museum in Vienna and the Zoological Museum in Hamburg.

Despite an intensive search for this species, which was declared as "extinct" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), no further specimens have been found since those in the 19th century. "Consequently, it was assumed the species had been exterminated," says Professor Uwe Fritz, director of the Museum of Zoology at the Senckenberg Natural History Collections in Dresden. The Dresden biologist states quite clearly that this is not true. "We have examined the DNA of the original specimen from the museum in Vienna and discovered that these turtles are not a separate species."

The genetic analyses have shown that this supposed Seychellois species is in reality another species, Pelusios castaneus, that is widespread in West Africa. "The species Pelusios seychellensis has therefore never existed," adds Fritz. "In fact, for a long time researchers were amazed that the supposed Seychelles turtles looked so deceptively similar to the West African turtles. But due to the great geographic distance, it was thought this had to be a different species, which is why the assumed Seychelles turtles were also described as a new species in 1906."

Another species classified as native therefore disappears from the list of Seychelles species. Last year, Fritz and his team had already proved that another mud turtle species, Pelusios subniger, was not endemic to the Seychelles but had been introduced by man.

"In the Seychelles there is therefore at most one mud turtle species that could be native. And even with this species we are still uncertain whether it really is endemic," says Fritz. So far, the biologists from Dresden have not been able to explore this possibility due to the incomplete sampling available, however.

"But what is certain even now is that the protection programmes for turtles in the Seychelles will have to be revised, so that truly endemic animal species are protected and the scarce funds available for species protection are put to good use," says Fritz in conclusion.



Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.


Journal Reference:
Heiko Stuckas, Richard Gemel, Uwe Fritz. One Extinct Turtle Species Less: Pelusios seychellensis Is Not Extinct, It Never Existed. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (4): e57116 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057116


Cite This Page:

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Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum. "One extinct turtle less: Turtle species in the Seychelles never existed." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 April 2013. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130404072916.htm>.

Man attempts to smuggle pet turtle onto plane in KFC hamburger

A man known only as Li tried to smuggle his "beloved" pet turtle through Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport security in China by sandwiching it inside a KFC hamburger. X-ray screening showed "odd protrusions," and airport staff asked to inspect Li's luggage, saying that said protrusions resembled turtle limbs. 

"There's no turtle in there, just a hamburger," Li reportedly said. "There's nothing special to see inside," he added, seemingly wanting to appear even more suspicious. He finally gave in, and security nicely explained he couldn't bring the turtle on the plane. Li arranged for a friend to care for his pet. Beats the time we tried to smuggle our pet cobra inside a kielbasa link. [Source]

http://now.msn.com/turtle-smuggle-attempt-in-hamburger-foiled-by-chinese-airport-security

Ancient Turtle Was as Big as Small Car

A turtle the size of a small car once roamed what is now South America 60 million years ago, suggests its fossilized remains.

Discovered in a coal mine in Colombia in 2005, the turtle was given the name Carbonemys cofrinii, which means "coal turtle." It wasn't until now that the turtle was examined and described in a scientific journal; the findings are detailed online today (May 17) in the Journal of Systematic Paleontology.

The researchers say C. cofrinii belongs to a group of side-necked turtles known aspelomedusoides. The turtle's skull, roughly the size of an NFL football, was the most complete of the fossil remains.

In addition to its colossal size, the turtle would have been equipped with massive, powerful jaws, meaning it could've eaten just about anything in its range, from mollusks (a group that includes snails) to smaller turtles and even crocodiles, the researchers noted.

Continued:  http://www.livescience.com/20395-smart-car-sized-turtle-roamed-colombia.html

Chattanooga Zoo researchers discover turtle subspecies

CHATTANOOGA, TN (WRCB) – The Chattanooga Zoo announced Thursday the discovery of a turtle never before documented in Tennessee. The turtle, called the Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell Turtle, was found in a tributary in the Conasauga River.

The Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell is a subspecies of the more prevalent Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle found throughout Tennessee. 

Chattanooga Zoo researchers, Rick Jackson and David Hedrick, were in the process of looking for multiple reptile and amphibian species that had never been officially recorded in Bradley County when the Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell Turtle was discovered.  

"We are very excited about our new resident here in the state," said Hedrick. "The last time a new turtle was found in Tennessee was in 1986 when threatened Bog Turtles were discovered in Northeast Tennessee". 

Biologist Dr. A. Floyd Scott at Austin Peay Univsersity characterized the discovery as "significant" because it adds a new taxon to the vertebrate fauna of Bradley County and to the Tennessee region.

"Their find, coupled with a preserved specimen in the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences that was collected in 1974 from the Conasauga River in eastern Bradley County, suggest there is an established population there that has been overlooked until now," Dr. Scott added.

Zoo officials explain the spotting of this subspecies is especially momentous because soft shelled turtles are an extremely wary aquatic species that disappear at the first sign of danger. 

Director of Ectotherms Rick Jackson noted how "the assessment of this population of turtles in Tennessee is one of several conservation initiatives currently underway within the Chattanooga Zoo's Reptile and Amphibian department". 

The Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell turtle discovered by Zoo researchers was a female measuring 18 inches in length.  

These turtles can live to be 50 years or more.

http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/18093726/chattanooga-zoo-researchers-discover-turtle-subspecies

Ninja turtle (who may be a teenager) climbs fence

June 29, 2011 10:37 AM

By Bailey Johnson

(CBS) - If you were to tell me, mere hours ago, that it was possible for a turtle to climb a fence, I would have said, "No, sir. Surely you jest. Isn't that why we build fences in the first place? To keep out pernicious turtles?"

And yet, here we are. Go, turtle, go!

This is definitely Chariots of Fire worthy. That snapping turtle is trying so hard to get to the pond. It's at the top, it can taste victory, it's going over... Oh, and it all comes crashing down! It's okay, turtle, you're still a winner (the person filming reveals in the YouTube description that eventually the turtle made it over.)

Though this clip does raise a few questions. Why didn't the cameraman help the turtle over? Do enough people know about the incredible climbing abilities of turtles? Why is that fence there in the first place? Is it just a turtle fence?

That reminds me of another clip about turtles. (This one featuring the lovely and talented CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes.)

Link (inc vids): http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504784_162-20075373-10391705.html

Turtle Road Toll Mounting in Queensland, Australia (Via HerpDigest)

AAP, 12/24/10 Queensland, Hundreds of freshwater turtles have become roadkill in recent weeks as downpours filled lagoons and floodplains across Queensland.

Motorists should slow down and be on the lookout for turtles crossing roads to find their mates and nesting areas, Capricorn Conservation Council spokesman Michael McCabe said.

Mr McCabe told AAP he estimated the turtle road toll to be in the hundreds, particularly around Rockhampton in central Queensland.

''We are receiving reports of turtles being killed or badly injured by vehicles when they try to cross roads,'' he said.

He said some vulnerable Fitzroy River turtles had been killed along the Ridgelands Road, west of Rockhampton.

''This species is already under enormous pressure from dams, mining and agricultural water use, (hunting) by feral animals and trampling of nests by stock accessing the river,'' Mr McCabe said.