OCS 2008 Chapter : Ch 9 Marine Reptiles And Seabirds
15 Mar 2019
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Document Summary
Seven species of sea turtles worldwide all classified as threatened. Alteration to beach habitat, light pollution, hunting, drinking straws, getting. Turtle exclusion devices in shrimp trawlers are mandatory to prevent tangled in fishing gear, and being hit by boats bycatch. Cannot retract their head into shell like land brothers but this makes them faster. Have a biting jaw instead of teeth to forage. Populate offshore, and the female lays leathery eggs in a hole. Sex is determined by temperature: warmer incubation=female. Climate change is having an effect on sex ratio! Different from land because their ventral plates are reduced and they cannot. Most venomous snakes in the world but very peaceful. Have to sun themselves after dives to retain body temperatures. Possibly hunted to extinction in some environments when hunting was. Really broad distributions but aggregated in upwelling sight where there are more fish and also where air currents take them.
