Turkle’.What’s That?
What is a ‘turkle’ and how would it save the planet? A ‘turkle’ is a young boy’s mispronunciation of the word ‘turtle’ in the movie called ‘Turkles’. ‘Dermochelys Criacea’, otherwise known as the Leatherback turtle, is the focus of this environmental mystery film. Despite the extremely large size of the Leatherback, it is the fastest swimming reptile, clocking speeds of 9.8 meters per second. The largest Leatherback ever found was over three meters long and weighed 916 kilograms; most adults range from one to two meters in length and weigh between 250 to 700 kilograms.
The Leatherback has a global range stretching from Alaska to the Antarctic Ocean. Its diet consists mostly of jellyfish but at times it will feed on tunicates and cephalopods. It begins life as an egg buried under a sandy beach along with a 100 brothers and sisters. It breaks free of this environment and escapes to the sea past a variety of predators such as birds, crustaceans, other reptiles and people. It is estimated that 1,500 mature females are caught by fishing nets every year.
At the end of the nesting season, the large number of hatchlings can overcome depletion from predators. However, many cultures around the world believe that turtle eggs are an aphrodisiac. Another problem that depletes the Leatherback population is intestinal blockage. The turtles eat plastic bags and balloons that resemble their natural food.
Here are the numbers. In 1980 the nesting female Leatherback population was 115,000. Today’s estimated nesting population is 26,000 to 43,000. There are other fragile creatures that are declining in numbers throughout the world, too, but the Leatherback situation is severe.
The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna makes it illegal to harm or kill the Leatherback turtle but what good is a law if most people are not aware of it. Please continue to investigate this issue and relay the information to others in your community.
The ‘turkles’ are depending on you!
