turtles

In a secret location in New Jersey, a turtle whisperer cares for trafficked animals

5:28pm October 28, 2024

In an undisclosed New Jersey location, there's a sanctuary for turtles intercepted in the process of being trafficked, and a man devoted to his charges.

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Gabriel Jorgewich Cohen began researching whether turtle species — and other vertebrates thought to be mute — make sounds by recording his own pet turtles. The hydrophone used for recording can be seen on the left.

Science

Dozens of species were assumed to be mute — until they were recorded making sounds

3:36pm November 03, 2022

by Laurel Wamsley

Some animals like birds and frogs are famous for the sounds they make. But have you ever heard a turtle talk? Most turtles were thought to not make sounds at all — before researchers went deep.

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Marine biology student Ranim Tahhan, 21, pictured left, and another volunteer work to clean Tyre beach from the pollution caused by an oil spill in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Amid Myriad Crises, Lebanon Now Confronts An Ecological Disaster On Its Shores

2:43pm March 28, 2021

by Ruth Sherlock

Some of the country's last beaches spared from development are now carpeted in globs of tar from an oil spill in the Mediterranean, damaging beaches that are nesting grounds for endangered turtles.

Filipino authorities said that they found more than 1,500 live turtles and tortoises stuffed inside luggage at Manila's airport.

World News

Filipino Authorities Find More Than 1,500 Smuggled Turtles And Tortoises

11:44am March 04, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

Some of the animals were wrapped in duct tape, some were mixed into luggage items such as clothing, shoes and cookies. A passenger coming from Hong Kong left the animals at the airport.

Loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings are packed into containers at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center before being taken to a U.S. Coast Guard vessel for release in Boca Raton, Fla.

Science

Magnetic Fields Are A Big Predictor Of A Loggerhead Turtle's Genes

1:43pm April 12, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

You might expect turtles that live near each other or in similar environments would be genetically similar. But new research shows that magnetic fields actually have more to do with genetic likeness.

The sex of green sea turtles is determined by the egg's temperature as it's being incubated.

Science

Climate Change Means 'Virtually No Male Turtles' Born In A Key Nesting Ground

4:47pm January 10, 2018

by Merrit Kennedy

Like many reptiles, the sex of a turtle is determined by how warm the egg is as it's being incubated. And small temperature differences can cause dramatic changes in the male-to-female ratio.

Tiny turtles are cute, but they can spread salmonella and make children very sick.

Why The Toxin Trouble With Tiny Turtles Continues

3:45pm August 30, 2017

by April Fulton

The government is warning people not to handle tiny turtles because of the risk of contracting salmonella. The problem is, it has been warning us for 40 years and we're still getting sick.

Cholera bacteria can colonize the outer surfaces of the Chinese soft-shell turtle, a species that's found in parts of Asia.

Health & Safety

Cholera Hitches A Ride On The Backs Of Soft-Shell Turtles

4:44pm June 26, 2017

by Rina Shaikh-Lesko

A new study finds that turtles are really good at carrying the bacteria that cause the potentially fatal disease.

Science

Atomic Bombs Help Hawksbill Turtle Preservation

1:00pm July 29, 2016

by Shawn Fitzmaurice

How can you tell the age of a turtle? This is an important question, especially when it concerns the critically endangered Hawaiian hawksbill turtle. The answer is the bomb!

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It's illegal to sell or distribute pet turtles with shells less than 4 inches long because they spread salmonella.

Illegal Trade In Tiny Pet Turtles Keeps Spreading Salmonella

9:32am December 23, 2015

by Katherine Hobson

Selling little turtles as pets has been illegal for decades because they harbor salmonella and make children sick. But a resurgence of cases shows that the reptiles are still on the market.