Plastics Creating a Menace in Turtle Life-Leatherback Turtles THREATENED!!

PLASTIC CHOKED TURTLE TO DEATH-WHO IS RESPONSIBLE??

Every once in a while the government here passes out an order banning shop keepers from providing plastic bags to customers for carrying their purchases, with little lasting effect.Plastic bags are very popular with both retailers as well as consumers because they are cheap,strong,lightweight and functional means of carrying food as well as other goods.Even though they are one of the modern conveniences that we seem to be unable to do without, they are responsible for causing pollution, killing wildlife, and using up the precious resources of the earth.

The number of plastic bags used in our country is staggering.The problem is further exacerbated by the developed countries shipping off their plastic waste to developing countries like India.Plastic bags are now amongst the top 12 items of debris most often found along coastline.It is effecting large number of marine life.among them is the leatherback turtle.

One of the delicacies of turtles is the jellyfish which resembles plastic bags and so they often by mistake consume the poisonous material.Once consumed it clogs the digestive system of the turtles.Minute particles of plastic are consumed by the filter feeder organisms that form the base of the marine food web.This presents two problems in that plastic materials themselves are known to be toxic and they also appear to act as a sponge for other pollutants which are taken up by the filter feeders.

There are few actions that man can check and put a stop to the mishap.God has gifted us with a beautiful mind.We have a conscience that helps take the right decision and chose right over the wrong.

We are being continuously told about the consequences of excess use of plastics.we still continue to be ignorant about it and here it is effecting the silent species.known to be the most widely distributed reptile on earth has got threatened with extinction.

The culprit obviously being human beings or should i say human minds.
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Before its too late and damage is done beyond repair there is a need to take action.say 'NO' to plastic bags.

Various alternatives to Plastic bags:

1. Use biodegradable bags made from fabrics.
2. Ladies can fold a cotton bag or two in to their purses which can be used to quench their sudden urge for shopping.
3. Nylon bags can be used and reused several times.
4. Donate old news papers and magazines to small scale institutes that cut these old papers in to paper bags and packets.
5. Use a wicker basket. (They can make a fashion statement today.)
6. Educate the local retailers on the ill effects of use of plastics.
7. Insist your local retailers to use plastic bags of thicker variety if at all he has to use.
8. Offices can distribute canvas bags as New Year gifts instead of diaries and other sweet nothings.

my turtle experience in bharatpur!

It was mid-day by the time i gave up on my search for sarus crane... thirst and hunger had empowered me.
The park authority had informed that there are several turtles in the waterbody but until then i had not caught sight of any.while this thought lingered in my mind my eyes suddenly fell on several of them which had come on the surface of the water for sun basking(The sun’s warmth helps raise their body temperatures up to between 16° C and 35° C so they can better digest their food.Also,their muscles work better if they are warm)Few were caught mud-puddling and few in a posture with their neck stretched out.
Watching them for long gave me a kind of peace and my desire to reach the coast and help out the many marine turtles which are dwindling day by day due to the reckless actions of humans increased.My pursuit to achieve 0% mortality of these silent creatures will take some time.. i started walking back with my other collegues.
suddenly one of my friend screached and everyone called for me..it was a flapshell turtle trying to cross the road.
Fearfully it rolled its eye trying to analyse the world outside its protective cover.Due to all the fuss around he was little crossed and little amused as if saying 'hey!.. just leave me alone,there is nothing to stare;and i will find my own way back' after a short moment of silent exchange of words i decided to help him.Leaving in the middle of the road could have been risky so i just carried it to the water and let it go.
As i wanted a lasting memory so did it give me... just before taking a plunge into the water a mark on my hand.As i watched it dive into the water a wide smile spread on my face with a sense of satisfaction and peace.
Nature's every element and every element's every move is as beautiful as mysterious i find them.

TATA'S MUST STOP-Dhamra port construction NOW!!

The Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea),also known as the Pacific Ridley,is one of the smallest species of sea turtle.It is named for the olive-green color of its heart-shaped shell.It is usually found in the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic oceans.The beaches of Orissa,India provide one of the last nesting grounds of the Olive Ridley turtles in the world.
Though listed by the US Endangered Species Act, populations in the Atlantic Ocean continue to dwindle,while the populations found in areas around the Pacific Ocean seem to be on the rise.
In the Indian Ocean,a major nesting ground for the species can be found in the Indian state of Orissa.Beaches in Devi,Gahirmatha and Rushikulya are known nesting sites for the L.olivacea Indian Ocean population.In 2007,around 130,000 turtles nested on the beaches of Gahirmatha.
The threat perception to turtle habitat with regard to the TATA Steel port (Dhamra port) has to be seen in light of research studies which show that the port site is not frequented by nesting turtles.(Pandav et al., 1994) (Pandav & Choudhury, 2000)The port project has got the due environmental clearances from the central govt of India.In addition the threat perception from this port was further scrutinized in the year 2000 by the National Environment Appellate Authority,mandated specifically to examine environmental clearances,who upheld the environment clearance to the proposed port.The port is fully committed to the cause of the environment and are associating with the best wildlife conservation organization to safe guard the interests of wildlife and wildlife habitat.
Greenpeace has released a critique that exposes serious and fundamental flaws in the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) conducted for TATA’s Dhamra port project in Bhadrak district, Orissa. The critique has been authored by Dr. Paul Johnston and Dr. David Santillo from the Greenpeace Research Laboratories, School of Biosciences, Exeter University, United Kingdom.The port is less than 5 kilometres from the Bhitarkanika Sanctuary, India's second largest mangrove forest, and less than 15 km. from the turtle nesting beaches at Gahirmatha Sanctuary. There is also evidence of the presence of turtles in the offshore waters adjoining the port site.The environmental concerns surrounding the port do not stop at turtles.The port site itself is also a breeding ground for horse-shoe crabs, as well as rare species of reptiles and amphibians. One such species, the amphibian Fejervarya cancrivora, is the first record for the Indian mainland.The tension exists not only between developers and environmental groups, but also among local and international environmental organisations and individual experts around differing approaches, processes, and uses of information.

If the port construction continues it will ensure loss on a large scale of olive ridley turtles dwindling their population beyond its resilience.
There is a need that we the youth of india come together and raise our voice against this reckless act before its too late.

Morphology Sperm and Storage Organs

An important aspect of turtle reproductive biology is the ability of females to store viable sperm in their oviducts for long periods of time (Gist and Jones 1989). Females of many other taxa have evolved this ability as well (Birkhead and Møller 1993). In many social insects, for example, a queen mates prior to entering the nest and then uses only this initial sperm to fertilize eggs throughout her reproductive lifetime, which may last for years and involve the production of thousands or millions of progeny (Fjerdingstad and Boomsma 1998; Page 1986). Among the vertebrates, turtles and snakes can store sperm for by far the longest periods. In species representing these two groups, reports exist of a female's continued offspring production for up to 4 and 7 years, respectively, following isolation from males (Ewing 1943; Magnusson 1979) (although the possibility of parthenogenesis was not eliminated).

Sperm storage tubules in turtles are located in the posterior portion of the albumin-secreting region of the oviduct, a position different from that of other vertebrates (Gist and Jones 1989). The widespread occurrence of such tubules in the Testudines suggests that sperm storage, either between mating and ovulation or over longer time periods (see beyond), is an important component of turtle reproductive biology (Gist and Jones 1989).

social structure and behavior

Although turtles typically do not display pair bonds or family group affiliations, social organizations exist in some species. For example, dominance hierarchies have been described in gopher tortoises (Gopherus agassizii; McCrae et al. 1981), and individuals of this species as well as snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) also defend home ranges that may be important in mate access or control (Galbraith et al. 1987, 1993; McCrae et al. 1981). Home ranges may not be exclusively guarded, but males occupying overlapping areas often establish dominance through fights (Galbraith et al. 1987; McCrae et al. 1981).

In wood turtles (Clemmys insculpta), male dominance hierarchies also exist, and male rank has been shown to affect reproductive success. Males who consistently win fights against other (usually smaller) males enjoy a higher dominance rank and greater access to extended copulations with females (Kaufmann 1992). Based on DNA paternity data, high-ranking males were found to father a significantly greater number of offspring than those of lower rank (Galbraith 1991).

Movement and dispersal are other important behaviors that influence a species' mating system in a given population. In some freshwater turtles, gender differences exist in dispersal tendencies or in total distance traveled per year (Morreale et al. 1984). In addition, the two sexes may differ in seasonal activity levels, with females more active in the nesting seasons of late spring or early summer (in north temperate regions), and males more active in the fall (Gibbons 1968; MacCulloch and Secoy 1983; Pearse 1923). These movements have been interpreted as corresponding to peaks in female nesting and male mate-searching activities, respectively (MacCulloch and Secoy 1983).

Marine turtles present an entirely different life history, with intervals of several years between breeding events, and long distances traveled between communal feeding and nesting grounds (Kuchling 1999; Limpus et al. 1994). Little is known about the behaviors of marine turtles at sea, but both male and female green turtles (Chelonia mydas) have been observed mating more than once over a several-day period, immediately prior to the nesting season (Booth and Peters 1972). Such multiple mating raises questions about mate choice, sperm competition, and genetic paternity of the offspring. Thus, as has also been found for some lizards (Bull et al. 1998), social aspects of turtle biology may prove more important than previously thought for mating system patterns

more about turtles

Unlike many birds and mammals, turtles are not known to form pair bonds or cohesive social groups, and neither sex provides parental care beyond nesting (Shine 1988; but see Iverson 1990). A male's contribution to his offspring is therefore limited to fertilization and indirect genetic effects. With respect to a female's choice of mate, any trade-off between social status or territory quality on the one hand, and male genetic quality on the other, is presumably much reduced. Thus instead of asking under what circumstances a female may seek extrapair copulations (as has been done in many bird species; e.g., Double and Cockburn 2000; Kempenaers et al. 1992), questions about turtle mating systems revolve around the number or quality of a female's mates, the timing of her remating decisions, her capacity for sperm storage (Galbraith et al. 1993; Kaufmann 1992), and the fitness ramifications of a long reproductive life (Gibbons 1987). Female turtles are unlikely to receive many of the proposed direct benefits of multiple mating (e.g., parental care, nuptial gifts), so indirect benefits (e.g., genetic contributions) presumably play a more singular role in mate choice and paternity distributions in turtles than has been found in most bird, fish, and mammal species studied (Andersson 1994; Birkhead 1995).

The aims of this review are to discuss aspects of turtle biology relevant to field-based studies of sperm storage and reproduction; review the available literature on the genetic mating systems of turtles; consider hypotheses for the evolutionary benefits of multiple mating and sperm storage in this taxon; and highlight future research directions that might take advantage of the unique opportunities afforded by the reproductive biology of turtles. This is not intended to be a comprehensive review of sperm storage and competition, but a focused treatment on the special features of turtles relevant to paternity analysis and mating system studies. For a more comprehensive treatment of sperm competition in reptiles, see Olsson and Madsen (1998).

DISCUSSION FORUM FOR ALL TURTLE LOVERS

a once most habitable and mass-nesting site Gahirmatha is turning to a ground of carcasses for turtles....
what are the causes??
can we stop it??