Thursday, February 19, 2009

Sea Turtles Around Sri Lanka!




Eggs are collected or bought from local villagers and buried in the sand hatchery. If there is lot of
sunshine they hatch after 48 days. If it is raining it can take up to 60 days before the turtles emerge
from the eggs. They are then placed in the tanks and for first 3 days remain without food to cleanse
them of material ingested form the eggshell. They are then given small pieces of fish for a further
7 days. Learning to dive down into the tank to take the food. When they an do this. They can be
safely released into the sea where they can fish for themselves on the coral reefs. Turtles are
frequently injured at sea. Many get caught in fishing nets. Others are attacked by people attempting
to catch and kill them for their meat. Surviving turtles are cared for by the Turtle Farm and those who
make a good recovery can be re-released back the sea.

The Turtle Farm encourages local people to bring eggs or turtles to them by making a payment
for them. This helps to conserve turtle stocks and persuade people to stop selling and eating turtles
or their eggs.



Kinds of turtles!


Green Turtle The Green sea turtle is largest hard-shelled sea turtle. Adults of the species commonly reach 100 cm in carapace length and 150 kg in mass. The average size of a female is 101.5 cm straight carapace length.




Hawksbill
The following combination of characteristics distinguishes the hawksbill from other marine turtles.
1. Two pairs of prefrontal scales
2. Thick, Posteriorly overlapping scutes on the carapace.
3. Four pairs of costal scutes. (The anterior most not in contact with the nuchal scute)
4. Two claws on each flipper
5. A beak-like mouth, hence the name.
Additionally, On lank the hawksbill has an alternating gait, unlike the leatherback and green sea turtles
.


Leahterback The leatherback is the largest living turtle and is so distinctive that it is placed in its own separate family, Dermochelys. All other sea turtles have bony hard plates on their shells (carapace). The leatherback’s carapace is slightly flexible and has a rubbery texture. No sharp angle is formed between the carapace and the under-belly ( Plastron) so a leatherback is somewhat barrel-shaped.The front flippers of a leatherback are longer than in the other marine turtles, Even when you take the leatherback’s size into account. They can reach 270 cm in adult leatherbacks.




Loggerheads The carapace of adult loggerheads is reddish-brown. The Plastron is medium-yellow.
Average body mass about 113 kg. Hatchling can vary colour from light to dark brown.
Flippers are dark brown with white margins. The plastron and other under Parts have
a faded yellow ochre appearance.






Olive Ridley The Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys Olivacea) is the smallest of the sea turtles usually less than 100 pounds and named for the olive color of its heart-shaped shell. This is an omnivorous turtle. It forages offshore in surface water or dives to depths of at least 150 meters (500 Feets) to feed on bottom dwelling shrimp, Crabs, Sea urchins and other animals crustacens, mollusks and tunicates. Olive Ridley are sometimes seen feeding on jellyfish in surface waters.

Sea Turtles Around Sri Lanka!


Eggs are collected or bought from local villagers and buried in the sand hatchery. If there is lot of
sunshine they hatch after 48 days. If it is raining it can take up to 60 days before the turtles emerge
from the eggs. They are then placed in the tanks and for first 3 days remain without food to cleanse
them of material ingested form the eggshell. They are then given small pieces of fish for a further
7 days. Learning to dive down into the tank to take the food. When they an do this. They can be
safely released into the sea where they can fish for themselves on the coral reefs. Turtles are
frequently injured at sea. Many get caught in fishing nets. Others are attacked by people attempting
to catch and kill them for their meat. Surviving turtles are cared for by the Turtle Farm and those who
make a good recovery can be re-released back the sea.

The Turtle Farm encourages local people to bring eggs or turtles to them by making a payment
for them. This helps to conserve turtle stocks and persuade people to stop selling and eating turtles
or their eggs.





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