| Unlike all other modern reptiles, turtles are the only reptiles, whose body is safely covered by shell, which is represented by two shields: on the back side - carapace and on abdominal side - plastron. Carapace is made up of 20-30 small bony shields, fused with ribs and spinal outgrowths. Plastron is a modified clavicula and the abdominal ribs also have the form of individual plates.
The shell is so strong that it can withstand 200 times more load than the weight of the turtle. As the turtles grows, a horny substance is deposited along the edges of each shield, forming yearly grooves, by which the age of turtle can be determined.
Sea turtles are the large reptiles with limbs having a shape like oars. They come to shore very rarely, mainly to lay eggs. On land, they become very helpless and it is very easy to catch them on land. Therefore, many of the kinds are mercilessly killed by people for meat, shells or eggs. For example, the eggs of Loggerhead sea turtles are widely used in cooking to prepare different types of sweet dishes.
Radiant turtles, living in Madagascar, are on the brink of extinction because of poachers, who hunt them for their meat. Another reason for a drop in turtle population is their illegal trade, as reported by the Wildlife Conservation Society. Zoo protectors say that without urgent action, the radiation turtles would disappear from the Earth in the coming 20 years.
Among other factors that negatively affect the population of Madagascar turtles, experts term as prolonged drought, which resulted in a decline of agriculture on the island, people were left without food and did not find anything better than to hunt animals, even in protected areas. Extinction of turtles and other species of fauna is also contributed to the clearing of land for agricultural purposes and political instability.
Meanwhile in Indonesia, zoo protectors are discussing the fate of Sumatran rhinoceros. In wild nature, not more than 200 species of these animals are left. Over the past year, the number of Sumatran rhinos declined by 50% mainly due to poachers.
In the Indonesian zoo, one female rhino got pregnant some time ago, reports BBC News. Zoo staff eagerly awaited the birth of the baby rhino, but later it appeared that the pregnancy was false. This was concluded by the biologists, after studying the ultrasound results of the eight year old female named Ratu. Another attempt to make Ratu conceive will be made this month. If she becomes pregnant and bears a fetus, the baby rhino will be the first in Indonesia, to be born in captivity.
Nowadays, the surge in the illegal trade of rhino horns is observed around the world, which is due to the increasing demand for this material in Asian markets. Especially, they are popular in China, where rhinoceros horns are used to manufacture longevity elixirs.
95% of all hunting cases by rhino poachers are registered in Zimbabwe and South Africa, where animals are killed for making veterinary medicines. Till 2006, Zimbabwe's rhino population increased and remained stable for several years. But from 2006 to 2009, Zimbabwean hunters killed 235 rhinos and in South Africa – 210 rhinos.
By the way, victims of poachers more often are hammerhead sharks, the fins of which are used for making soup. Every year, just for the sake of fins, 1 - 3 million sharks are killed. A kilogram of fins can be bought on an average for 120 USD. Scientists have conducted DNA analysis of the fins, sold in Hong Kong, and found that 21% of them belong to sharks that inhabit the western part of the Atlantic Ocean, where this species is classified as “endangered species”.
The Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is sometimes called the "soup" turtle: its tender and tasty meat has become a desired meat for chefs around the world. It is now necessary to take special measures to restrict its trade.
Among many international festivals, there is one very important but less known festival in Russia - World Turtle Day. It is celebrated on May 23 by sending postcards with funny turtle themes to friends, actions to protect the turtles are being organized and some even dress up in turtle costumes, which children enjoy. Why should we not adopt this great tradition? World Turtle Day has being celebrated since 2000 on the initiative of the “American Tortoise Rescue” society. This organization was founded by enthusiasts in 1990 in Malibu, California.
"And why conserve them? Turtles live for 300 years without knowing grief "- say ignorant people who are totally wrong. The not unknown tortilla with its song about "three hundred years ago" has misled many. A turtle's life realistically is up to 200 years. On an average, they live from 30 to 130 years. The record for longevity, registered by Guinness, belongs to the Tui Malila turtle, which was presented by James Cook to the King of Tonga in 1773 or 1777. It died in 1965 after living for 188 years or 192 years. The longevity phenomenon in turtles has always interested the researchers. Who does not dream to stay young forever and live up to 200 years?
American gerontologist Steven Austad suggested that, life expectancy directly depends on a feeling of security. So, animals, living on an island, where there are no predators and no people, live twice as long compared to their "civilized" colleagues. Without purpose, the turtles are not carrying a heavy shell for the last 200 million years, it may be tiresome, but it makes them feel safe.
On roads, turtles are practically unsafe. The shell can save them, but like most other animals, the turtle just does not have enough time to react to sudden danger. |
This Friday we continue our freaking experiment with provided source images.
