CNN Thursday April 12th, 2018 "Australian 'punk' turtle that breathes through it's genitals added to endangered list" Zahid Mahmood In Australia, a very unique turtle faces extinction. The Mary River Turtles with their distinctive punk rock hair and chin spikes also have the ability to breathe out of their genitals. They breathe underwater through special glands in their cloaca. This equips the turtles to stay underwater for up to three days. The green Mohawk is just a plus, the time spent underwater allows for algae to grow atop their heads.
The Mary River Turtle was added to the endangered species list and are at risk of extinction. It's number 29 on ZSL's (Zoological Society London) register of Evolutionarily Extinct and Globally Endangered Species list for reptiles. This is only a short amount away from number one, the Madagascar big-headed turtle. Others on this list are the world's largest sea turtle, the leatherback, and the gharial, a crocodile from the rivers of northern Nepal and India. Both freshwater and sea turtles are under pressure across the globe. Humans have them in high demand for anything from meat and shells to selling them as pets. So, what caused these turtles to end up on the endangered species list? Rikki Gumbs, a reptile biologist at ZSL, said that because of the exotic pet trade in the 60's and 70's, they were being kept as pets. Because of this they were already at risk of being endangered by the time they were recognized as a species in the 1990's. The turtles take a while to reach sexual maturity. It can take as long as 25 to 30 years. This means an entire generation of turtles was lost to the pet trade. Their population is now extremely small. These turtles are very unique and it's a shame how close to extinction they are. I can see why they would be desired as pets, however many wild animals should stay just that, wild. Hopefully efforts can be made to raise this decreased population and prevent something like this from happening again. I will comment on Matthew Mau and 's blog.
1 Comment
Oliver Scott
4/13/2018 10:25:03 am
I think it is important to keep different species alive. It is good that you are trying to spread awareness, although it is almost futile. You gave no ways that we could possibly help the cause.
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AuthorLeah Maxwell Archives
June 2018
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