What Is A ‘Turkle’?
A ‘turkle’ is a slight mispronunciation of the word turtle by a hearing impaired boy in a movie called ‘Turkles’. The type of ‘turtle’ in the film is a ‘Dermochelys Criacea’, otherwise known as the Leatherback Turtle. Leatherbacks are the fastest reptiles in water, reaching the recorded speed of 9.8 meters per second, according to the ‘Guinness Book of Records’. Adults average one to two meters in length and weigh between 250 to 700 kilograms. The largest Leatherback ever found was over three meters long and weighed 916 kilograms.
Leatherbacks range from Alaska to the Antarctic Ocean. They consume mostly jellyfish but at times will feed on tunicates and cephalopods. These turtles enter the world as eggs buried beneath a sandy beach along with approximately a 100 siblings. When the time is right, they exit their soft shells, climb up through the sand and make their way to the sea, dodging a host of predators such as birds, crustaceans, other reptiles and people. Fifteen hundred adult females are caught in 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.
A horrible fact is that in 1980 the nesting female Leatherback population was an estimated 115,000. Today the estimate is 26,000 to 43,000. Throughout the world the Leatherback population is declining much faster that other fragile creatures.
The harming or killing of Leatherback turtles was made illegal by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna but these laws are not being respected. Please investigate this issue further and pass on the information to interested individuals in your community.
Time is of the essence!
[youtube:AqgjCBhmxgA;[link:Turkles];http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqgjCBhmxgA&feature=related]