Green Group discussion

More sea turtles are now females:

https://video.nationalgeographic.com/...

Did you hear about the project to prevent poaching sea turtles by placing a fake, wired egg in a clutch to track the perpetrators?

Yes I did.

https://www.fastcompany.com/40492542/...

https://www.theguardian.com/environme...

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/cra...

Here is a hopeful story about a turtle once thought to be extinct:

https://www.ecowatch.com/royal-turtle...

These stories are great to read but I wish they didn't give the locations out for where the animals are spotted.

Sea turtle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L8ps...

Great look at the radio transmitters in the eggs. I hope these can be deployed as quickly and massively as suggested and the criminals stealing the eggs arrested.

Turtles are travelling north with warmer waters off Maine, and then get hit by cold.
https://www.care2.com/causes/hundreds...

The world's rarest turtle. A very interesting story about desperate efforts to keep them alive:

https://news.mongabay.com/2018/04/pop...

We visited Denia in Spain a couple of years ago. This is on the east coast of Spain and not the usual holiday spot, unless you are a Spanish family that is.
Recently three rescued turtles were released on the nice beach, which is an environmental preserve.

https://www.costa-news.com/costa-blan...

Here is another story about how the warming climate is making more sea turtles females:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/...

Presuming there are still enough males to mate with every female, the males still have to find the females in a big ocean.

Mara the turtle who was found off Ireland is flying home. Lovely story.

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2019/...

Who'd've thought - too many people, fewer turtle nests on beaches. Lockdown has increased the number of nests in Florida and Thailand.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/more-...

I used to support a variety of turtle hatchling groups through Care2.com but they closed that part of their operations and just became a petition site, so I rarely visit any more.

Drone count of turtles nesting near the Great Barrier Reef; good news, the count is raised.
And because a drone rather than a boat is used this is not invasive.

https://www.rte.ie/news/newslens/2020...

Good news that because activists are educating fishermen and other villager about turtles being an endangered species, the benefits of turtles to other species (as marine environment engineers), and tourism, the Senegal coast is becoming safer for turtles to live and breed.
Once people understand that destroying turtles will destroy their livelihood, they're on board. Most of them.

https://phys.org/news/2020-07-sea-tur...

A turtle nest in Spain is being protected.

https://www.costa-news.com/costa-blan...

On Ocean Boulevard


Latest in a fiction series about a family who protect turtle nests and clear plastic near Charleston, South Carolina.

Many thanks to author and environmental conservationist Mary Alice Monroe

for sending me a newly issued hardback.
I have reviewed through Fresh Fiction and I'll write another review here on GR when I get a minute. Meanwhile, it's a five star read.

"Prescott and the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary started saving cold-stunned turtles in 1982, a time when the Kemp’s ridley turtle was on the brink of extinction. It’s the smallest marine turtle of the seven species worldwide, with adults generally weighing about 100 pounds (45 kilograms) and reaching a length of between 2 to 2.3 feet (60 to 70 centimeters). It is also the only sea turtle with an almost circular upper shell. Kemp’s ridley turtles are found primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, but they can also be found in the Atlantic Ocean as far north as Nova Scotia.

Over the last few decades though, the turtle has been in trouble. The worldwide annual nesting population nose-dived from 40,000 females in the 1940s to less than 300 females in the mid-1980s, according to the National Park Service. When Kemp’s ridley sea turtles started appearing cold-stunned in Cape Cod Bay, Prescott knew it was crucial to act.

“It really came down to [the fact that] every single individual was important,” Prescott said. “We think about 70% of the turtles that we see here on the Cape are females. We needed to save those turtles and make sure they got back into the Gulf of Mexico.”

Although Prescott and his team mainly save ridley sea turtles, they also find and rescue loggerhead turtles and green turtles. When the organization started the program in the 1980s, Prescott said it rescued between 10 and 20 turtles per year, but now it averages about 600 turtles a year. As of today, the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle remains the most endangered sea turtle in the world."

https://earther.gizmodo.com/volunteer...

Mass turtle hatching in Brazil.

https://www.ecowatch.com/endangered-t...

Here is an interesting example of interspecies friendship between a tortoise and a goose.

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/anima....

A loggerhead turtle (identified by those who know) came to visit Ireland for Christmas, but the cold water was not to its liking.

https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2021...

"A turtle weighing in the region of 50kg that washed up on a beach in Conamara (Connemara) is now being given round the clock care at the Galway Atlantaquaria in Salthill.

The loggerhead turtle is an endangered species and believed to have originated in warmer climes near the Canary Islands.
...

"It is believed that the turtle - named Macdara after a local Conamara saint - was blown off course by the recent Storm Barra. It is hoped that in due course the turtle can be released back into its natural habitat after spending Christmas in Galway."

That's nice, once out of the cold water the turtle should be fine.

https://www.rte.ie/news/newslens/2021...

Return of leatherback and olive ridley to Thailand.

"Between October 2020 and February 2021, 18 nests of leatherback turtles - which can grow up to 400 kilograms as an adult and are the largest species of sea turtles - were found in Phuket.

"Their nesting has improved in the last two years thanks to the absence of tourists, noise and light pollution," Kongkiat Kittiwatanawong, director of the Phuket Marine Biological Center, said.

"We had never seen such a number in 20 years."
...

"Pollution is also a problem.

At the moment, plastic and discarded fishing lines and nets remain the primary cause of disease and death.

"In 56% of the cases, the turtles that are brought to us have ingested marine waste or become trapped in it," said Dr Patcharaporn Kaewong from the Phuket Marine Biological Center.

Currently, 58 turtles are being treated there. Some need operations, amputation or prosthetics before they are released back into the wild.
...

"Up until a few decades ago, eating turtle eggs was a common custom in Thailand, but gathering them was banned by the Thai government in 1982.

Illegally possessing or selling leatherback turtle eggs is now punishable by three to 15 years in prison, and carries fines of up to $50,000.

Some marine protection NGOs are also financially rewarding locals who report a nest, while technology - like microchipping a turtle - also plays a part in long-term monitoring."

Hello Liv, have you got a book about turtles? or a story to share?

May 23rd is World Turtle day

https://www.worldturtleday.org/

From The website:
NEVER BUY a turtle or tortoise from a pet shop as it increases demand from the wild.

REPORT THE SALE of any turtle or tortoise of any kind less than four inches. This is illegal throughout the U.S.

REPORT THE CRUELTY or illegal sales of turtles and tortoises to your local animal control shelter.

NEVER REMOVE turtles or tortoises from the wild unless they are sick or injured.

WRITE LETTERS to legislators asking them to keep sensitive habitat preserved or closed to off road vehicles, and to prevent off shore drilling that can lead to more endangered sea turtle deaths.

EMERGENCY CARE If a tortoise is crossing a busy street, pick it up and send it in the same direction it was going – if you try to make it go back, it will turn right around again.

Great tips! Thanks.


https://www.costa-news.com/latest-new...

"A loggerhead turtle laid 131 eggs at a beach in Guardamar on Tuesday – ‘the largest number of all the nests found on the shores of the Valencia region in recent years’, reported Torrevieja town hall biologist Juan Antonio Pujol.

The emergency protocol for nesting turtles was activated by beach cleaning staff early that morning at Playa les Ortigues, the closest beach to neighbouring La Mata.

The veterinary officers carried out a thorough examination of the turtle, finding that it was in good health."


Thank you, Costa News. I don't know if the extreme heat in Spain has affected turtle habitat. Further story:

https://www.costa-news.com/costa-blan...

"The Guardia Civil press office revealed that their maritime service officers have rescued a young loggerhead turtle which was trapped in illegal fishing paraphernalia.

A force spokesman explained that the animal became tangled in a contraption formed by plastic bottles and a net of plastic string, ‘which was probably used to signal an illegal fishing point’."

Many thanks to Connie Mann for telling me about her turtle watch.


"Sea Turtle Nest Excavation
I still haven’t seen a turtle nest hatch, but the other day, I saw the next best thing. When mama turtle lays her eggs, the local turtle patrol volunteers mark the nest and record the date. A few days after the nest hatches, they go back and excavate it. They count the shells to see how many hatched, and also how many didn’t hatch – for whatever reason – and report those numbers to FWC (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission). They also search for any hatchlings that couldn’t make it to the surface and give them a helping hand getting to the water, like this little guy.

Hatchlings are only about 2 ½ inches long and once they reach the water, must swim 3-4 DAYS to reach the Sargasso Sea, which is a current with Sargasso seaweed, where they will live for several years. Each nest may contain 100-150 eggs, but generally, only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings survive to adulthood. This year we have a record number of nests in our area, which is very good news for sea turtles. [Click HERE for more information.]"

https://lists.writerspace.com/l/DxOJG...

Some of the turtle stories are placed under Reptiles and Amphibians.

Here's another.

https://www.costa-news.com/costa-blan...

"Baby loggerhead turtles started hatching on Sunday night from the eggs laid by a female which made a nest on Arenales del Sol beach in Elche on June 25.

A total of 48 young emerged at El Saler beach in Valencia, where 65 of the 78 eggs from the nest were moved to keep them safe.

Full report in Friday’s Costa Blanca News"

New YA book.

Turtle Moon by Hannah Gold

New news on turtle travels.

https://phys.org/news/2025-02-scienti...

"Scientists long thought that tiny turtles drifted passively with ocean currents, literally going with the flow.

"What we've uncovered is that the turtles are actually swimming," said co-author Nathan Putman, an ecologist at LGL Ecological Research Associates in Texas.

The scientists confirmed this by comparing location data of young turtles with the routes of drifting buoys set in the water at the same time. More than half of the buoys washed ashore while the turtles did not."

More information: Katrina F. Phillips et al, New insights on sea turtle behaviour during the 'lost years', Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2025).
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/do...
Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

https://www.rte.ie/news/newslens/2025...

"On the beach of the seaside town of Watamu, it took four men to heave the huge Loggerhead sea turtle into the back of a car.

She had just been saved from a fishing tackle and was then taken to a nearby clinic to be checked for injuries, then weighed, tagged and released back into the sea.

A Kenyan NGO, Local Ocean Conservation (LOC), has been doing this work for almost three decades and has carried out some 24,000 rescues."

https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2025/...

"The five turtles at the aquarium in Daingean Uí Chúis were rescued by members of the public in the past week.

They were found on beaches in Inch, Co Kerry, Lahinch and Kilkee in Co Clare, Conamara in Co Galway and Belmullet in Co Mayo.

Marine biologist Dr Kevin Flannery said it is highly unusual to see so many turtle strandings on the Irish coast.

"What's happened is there was a marine heatwave in the Atlantic in May and June and if these turtles were crossing the Atlantic with the rising water temperatures they would have wandered into our waters.

"And then, all of a sudden, cold shock would take hold when the water temperature dropped again," he said.

Dr Flannery added: "These are young and obviously they weren’t able to swim south again, and they got washed in along our coastline in the last couple of weeks."
...
"Turtle strandings have been a rare occurrence on the Irish coast, but this year has brought a significant increase in the number of reports.

Earlier this year a young loggerhead turtle was found on a beach near Blacksod in Co Mayo, while a rare green turtle was washed up on a beach in Quilty, Co Clare, last February.

"With climate change and the increase in sea temperatures this is going to be an ongoing thing," Dr Flannery said."

Many thanks to Hyunah Kim for telling us about a sea turtle nest on a beach she visited. This is extracted from her newsletter. Anyone wanting to keep up with Hyunah's news would no doubt be welcome to subscribe to her e-newsletter. That way, you would get the photos too.



"Breaking news! A sea turtle landed on the beach of Golfe-Juan, 3km from where I live. A rare egg-laying was spotted at the foot of the rescue station. A loggerhead turtle laid its eggs at 4h40 Friday at dawn, July 18, in Golfe-Juan. It is an extremely rare phenomenon here in the French Riviera, and I had to go to examine the spot myself (yes, it’s me in the picture above). And why am I talking about it here? Because, well before becoming an author, I have always been an adamant sea turtle lover and passionate about doing what I can to help protect this amazing sea creature. I have been working as a sea turtle volunteer for many years across the planet, patrolling the beaches on long nights during the nesting seasons.

I have tagged them, measured them, and sometimes rescued sea turtles who were lost or stuck in unlikely places between the rocks or remote areas (you have no idea where these sea turtles sometimes wander around the beach and get themselves into trouble!) So, when I heard about loggerhead landing near where I live, I couldn’t believe it and got super excited.

If you happen to see sea turtles, no matter how excited and happy you are, please do not touch them and keep your distance (at least 3 meters), and just observe them. And please don’t throw away plastic bags in the ocean. They see those transparent bags and confuse them with jellyfish and eat them, which leads them to suffocate from the inside and die. Trust me, I saw many of them on the operating table at the sea turtle hospital in Lampedusa. It is absolutely heartbreaking…

The pictures below were taken in Costa Rica during “Arribada”, where thousands of Olive Ridley sea turtles come and lay their eggs during certain periods. It is an extraordinary sight and wonder of nature, and of course, I had to go see it myself. These pictures were taken between 4h30 and 5h30 in the morning. One of the most fantastic voyages I have ever made."