Help the Loggerhead Turtles!

Help the Loggerhead Turtles!

          Hello, this is IGL and this post is about helping the Loggerhead Turtles. The Loggerheads, or caretta caretta, is a heavy species of marine turtles. They use their strong jaws to crunch their prey, such as sea urchins and clams. In the Mediterranean, their population is abundant, and often times nest in Greece and Turkey. Their species have been on Earth since prehistoric times, about 100 million years. They play an important role in the wildlife cycle. The nutrients from their scat become sediments to the ocean floor and small microorganisms take shelter on their shell. More than 100 species of plants and animals have been found on one shell of a Loggerhead.

          These crucial fellows are disappearing though. They are critically endangered. Although they are not hunted for their meat and shell like other marine turtles, the Loggerhead is endangered because of bycatch. Bycatch is when an unwanted animal is caught in fishing nets used for seafood instead. Every year, about a thousand Loggerheads are caught in nets meant for shrimp. Coastal and human development risks their lives. When baby Loggerheads are hatched, they expect the moon’s light to guide them to the sea. However, city lights bring them the wrong way, and they die. If they don’t die, a person might take them in as a pet, which is illegal. Their nests are disturbed by human activity.

          There are many ways to help. You could:

1. Start a petition
2. Tell someone
3. Clean up beaches and stop pollution
4. If you live on the coast, turn off your lights after 10 PM.
5. If you eat seafood everyday, take a break

Help the Loggerhead Turtles!

Idea+Gift=Love IGL