Health & Fitness
HAPPY World Sea Turtle Day!!
Some scientists say that the Leatherback may be extinct in a decade. Extinction is forever.
June 15 is World Sea Turtle Day! Four of the seven species of sea turtles alive today regularly visit Long Island waters. If you are lucky, you might see a Green Turtle, Kemp's Ridley, Loggerhead or the unique Leatherback Turtle in area waters.
The largest of the sea turtles, and also the largest reptile on Earth, is the Leatherback. It can grow to eight feet long and weigh in at 2000 pounds. This massive marine animal grows slowly and lives a very long life. Can you guess what these gentle giants eat? They feed mostly on jellyfish! Yes, jellyfish!
There are plenty of jellyfish for Leatherbacks in the Earth’s oceans, yet this turtle can mistake floating items like balloons, plastic bags, and fishing line for jellyfish. Loggerheads like jellyfish too. This is one reason why we should all do our part to reduce our use of plastic bags and try to prevent balloons and other debris from entering the marine environment.
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Sea turtles have roamed the oceans for over 100 million years but are not faring well in today’s oceans. Six of the seven species of sea turtles are listed on the IUCN Red list as Endangered or Critically Endangered. All species of sea turtles that live in US waters are listed as Threatened or Endangered under the Endangered Species Act (the Flatback only lives in Australia- and they are endangered there as well) and the future of all of these amazing creatures does not look good.
Some scientists say that the Leatherback may be extinct in a decade. In ten short years they may be gone for ever. How sad.
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Want to help sea turtles? You can help them every day by doing small things like not leaving trash on the beach and keeping a watchful eye while you are out boating. Bring your own bags to the store-remember the jellyfish-bag-turtle connection. And whatever you do, never release balloons anywhere! They end up in our waters and harm more than just sea turtles!
If you spot a sea turtle, always call the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, even if the animal seems healthy. Information about the species in area waters is very important! If you spot a turtle on the beach, its definitely out of its habitat-and in need of assistance, so call right away!
You can call their 24-hour rescue hotline – 631-369-9829 any time of the day or night!
You can also help sea turtles by donating to the Riverhead Foundation. The Riverhead Foundation is federally authorized to respond to marine mammals and sea turtles. Since its inception, they have recovered , rescued and rehabilitated thousands of sea turtles and marine mammals . You can help them continue to save stranded sea turtles by making a dollar a day pledge-or more! Click here for more information.
You can give them your time! How many people do you know who can say they volunteer to rescue and rehabilitate sea turtles? You need to attend a training session first- follow this link for dates and times.
They also need stuff like bleach and laundry detergent, copy paper and permanent markers, a four-wheel drive pickup truck, a washer and dryer, and for those of you who have access to medical equipment, they urgently need a sonogram machine, as their well-used machine reached the end of its useful life.
Click here for a complete list of items that you can donate.
You can become a member and get special benefits- click here to sign up.
You can also check out online resources like the Center for Biological Diversity or the World Wildlife Funds websites for more information on sea turtles.
Saturday is World Sea Turtle Day-Lets have a Turtle party!
Happy World Sea Turtle Day to all, and to all, peace, love and recycle- and repeat often.
