Modern Evolutionary Classification of a Green Sea Turtle Green Sea turtles are very small when they are born, but as they mature, they become the largest hard-shelled sea turtles. These turtles do are not named for having a green shell, but for having green skin. Their shell is a brown or olive color. The organisms that make up this species are usually herbivores, but are omnivores while they are young. They eat seaweed and other plants or algae found in the ocean. Green sea turtles have serrated jagged edged jaws, which they have adapted for a vegetarian diet made up of eating of seagrasses, plants, and algae found in the ocean. When the turtles are not born yet, they are in a nesting habitat. The mother buries her eggs in the sand along a beach. Once they hatch, they head for the ocean and live ocean habitats. The ocean is extremely salty, and can be dangerous to species who are have not adapted to that environment. Green sea turtles are unique to the ocean environment because they “...have a salt …show more content…
Derived characteristics are traits that separate the members of a clade apart from others. They show an organism's evolution from ancestors. The Green Sea Turtle’s Order is Testudines, while the other orders in its clade are Lepidosauria and Archosauria. All three of these Orders have a derived characteristic. Testudines species have a shell, like a turtle does, Lepidosauria had scales like a snake or crocodile, and Archosauria had diapsids, or openings on either side of the skull like a bird. According to hyperphysics.edu, “The Pennsylvanian Period saw the emergence of the first reptiles”(Geological Time Scale). The evolution of the shell, scales, and diapsids did not happen during the Pennsylvanian Period; however, they did happen during the Triassic period, which was about 245 million years ago. As time went on, evolution kept happening and further defined the different species in their
The Graptemys caglei, also known as the Cagle’s Map Turtle, is an endangered turtle species found in San Antonio, Texas and along the Guadalupe River. It identifies easily by the pattern on its shell which resembles an aerial view topography, as well as its spiked shell edges, which are not as sharp as other map turtles of the same genus. Although the Cagle’s Map Turtle has natural predators pose a threat to the individual turtles’ lives, the predators are not a greater threat than habitat disturbances created by humans. Unfortunately, this species suffered a significant drop in population since the mid-1970 through changes in its habitat disallow support of a larger population of the turtles(van Dijk, P. P., 2011).
The leatherback is an endangered species. It's also the largest sea turtle. Adults usually weigh about 800 to 1,000 pounds (363 to 454 kilograms). Some have been reported to weigh as much as 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms). The turtles get their name because their backs are covered with leathery, oily tissue instead of a shell.
The green sea turtle occurs throughout tropical and subtropical oceans and is among the largest of the hard-shelled sea turtles growing to as much as 440 pounds and four feet in length. The breeding populations in Florida were listed as endangered in 1978 (43 FR 32800 32811, July 28, 1978) whereas all other populations were listed as threatened (NOAA 2015h). There is a proposal for identification of a North Atlantic green sea turtle distinct population that would be listed as threatened, continuing its current listing status near New York (80 FR 51763 51764, August 26, 2015). They are found in the shallow waters (except during migration) of shoals, bays, lagoons reefs, and inlets, often where submerged aquatic vegetation exists, from Maine south to Florida, and throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea (USFWS 2015n, 2015o; NOAA 2015e). Green sea turtles nests are not present in New York; however, they occasionally are found stranded on or near the shore (NYSDEC 2015ad). Breeding takes places in subtropical to tropical oceans every two, three, or four years between June and September, with peak nesting in June and July (NOAA 2015h; USFWS 2015u). Hatching usually occurs at night, and many green sea turtle hatchlings seek refuge and food in masses of floating sea plants (USFWS
In particular, one of these seven species is comprised of the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). The largest of all hard-shelled turtles, loggerheads have massive heads, strong jaws, and a reddish-brown shell, or carapace. Their front flippers are short and thick with 2 claws, while the rear flippers can have 2 or 3 claws. Loggerhead hatchlings have a dark-brown carapace with pale brown flippers. According to National Geographic (2015), adult males reach about three feet (nearly one meter) in shell length and weigh about 250 pounds (113 kilograms), but large specimens of more than 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms) have been found. They are primarily carnivores, munching jellyfish, conchs, crabs, and even fish, but will eat seaweed occasionally. They prefer to feed in coastal bays and estuaries, as well as the shallow water along the continental shelves of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
significantly impact loggerhead nesting by making many current or potential nesting sites unviable (Ehrhart et al.).
We had to cleaned the house and my dad told me if we find anything in the house that we liked we can keep I found this glass turtle I kept it and when we came home I put it in my glass cabinet and i saw a sparkle in the turtle and i remember all the fun stuff that me and my grandpa did we went to the baseball games and.
After reading and learning about Western Painted Turtles It would be interesting to get one. Western painted turtles aren’t only interesting but they are also beautiful because of their natural colors. I loved learning about these turtles because I have always liked turtles but never knew what they were really about, how they lived, and what they are capable of. These turtles may be small but they can do crazy things. I didn’t know a turtle could walk across the highway, but they sure do. The articles said they will do what it takes when it comes to laying their eggs because they are very picky about where they are laid. I also didn’t know that turtles could manage their heartbeat. I thought that was a fun interesting fact. I never knew Colorado
The seven different types of sea turtles live all around the world and play an important role in maintaining all the marine ecosystems they are a part of. The main part they do is maintain the health of seagrass beds and coral reefs which are home
The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) distributed in all of the world’s tropical and temperate oceans, consists of 10 subpopulations based on biological and geographical traits. In 2013, 6 of 10 subpopulations have been assessed to estimate global population trend based on 3-generation change (approximately 10-50 years) of nest number as proxies of abundance. The result revealed that 5 of 6 subpopulations show a positive trend (North West Atlantic, Mediterranian, South West Atlantic, South West Indian, and North Pasific) and only one (North West Indian) show opposite trend. However, since North West Indian subpopulation is the second largest nesting population and contributes to a third global population, thus altogether, global population
Can an animal’s beauty be the cause of its extinction? This is the case for the Hawksbill turtle. Nahill clarifies, “people use the turtles’ unique shells for jewelry and other beauty accessories. The Hawksbill turtle is an endangered species, with human impact being the leading cause of its endangerment. Since humans are the cause of their endangerment, it is our duty to raise awareness of such harm before it is too late” (Nahill, 2008). The Hawksbill turtles are commonly known for their beautiful shell. The turtles are captured and killed so their shells could be sold. The shells sell for around $220 per kilogram (Weisler, 2005). As these turtles are being captured and killed leading them to near extinction, we need to understand the overall
Much smaller than that of most turtles relative to its overall body size, the adult snapping turtle’s cross-shaped plastron is yellowish-tan in coloration, while that of the hatchling is dark gray with white marbling. Because of its relatively small size, the plastron of C. serpentina leaves the turtle’s head, limbs and tail exposed (see the rendering on page 3).
Heron Island, located on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef, just on the Tropic of Capricorn is the breeding ground for two of the world’s largest populations of green sea turtles and loggerhead sea turtles. The green turtle is also known as the Chelonia mydas, green turtle, black turtle, or the Pacific sea turtle. This particular species of turtle is found in the Cheloniidae family. 60,000 and more female Chelonia mydas turtles swim thousands of kilometres from their feeding grounds in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Torres Strait and the West Pacific, to this family sized island to lay their eggs. The loggerhead sea turtle in other words known as the Coretta Coretta, is an oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a
Have you ever seen or heard of sea turtles? There are 7 different species of sea turtles that we know of today. Today I will be discussing the species known as leatherback sea turtles. I will be discussing the different characteristics that make leatherback sea turtles animals. The characteristics of life are cells, levels of cellular organization, use energy, responding to their environment, growing, reproduction, and adapting to their environment.
Sea Turtles are from the ocean and live in almost every ocean basin around the world, but they can’t live in the arctic. Where sea turtles live, which is in the ocean, is very wet, cool (cold in the winter) salty, very big, and also very dark the farther you descend from the surface. The scientific name for the sea turtle is actually Chelonioidea. Also sea turtles have been around for a very-very long time.
Sea turtles face a lot of life or death obstacles from the second they are born. Even