Featured Image Credit: National Wildlife Federation
By Sarah Sharkey
The juvenile population of green sea turtles in Australia is 99% female. How are the hatchlings so skewed to a female outcome? The rising temperatures of the climate have been linked to this phenomenon that is threatening one of the largest green sea turtle populations in the world.
Scientists have been aware that the temperature of the sand surrounding a green sea turtle nest is responsible for altering the sex of the developing eggs. Usually, the balance of slightly warmer and colder sand throughout the season and distribution of a population take care of this so that the sexes are equally represented.
The study’s lead, Micheal Jensen, had this to say about his results, “Combining our results with temperature data show that the northern Great Barrier Reef green turtle rookeries have been producing primarily females for more than two decades and that the complete feminization of this population is possible in the near future. Furthermore, extreme incubation temperatures not only produce female-only hatchlings but also cause high mortality of developing clutches.”
The fear is that the population will become all female. At that point, it would just be a matter of decades before these amazing creatures vanish from our planet. Conservation efforts are being made to help prevent this frightening potential reality from happening. Shading nesting sites and protecting mating aged males from fishing efforts are currently being worked on.
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