Featured Photo Credit: Doug Perrine
By: Hannah Rosenoff
So why is it news that sea turtles communicate with each other? Well it had been widely assumed that they were silent creatures up until a couple years ago.
In Oaxaca, Mexico, 12 leatherback sea turtle nests were monitored for 51 days. After the 51st day, more than 300 sounds had recorded. Complex hybrid tones were deciphered out from the respiratory and grunting sounds. These are thought to be noises to initiate hatching together.
Synchronized hatching is important for sea turtle survival because it ups their chances of making it to the water. Hatching alone makes them much more vulnerable to predation.
While still inside the egg, the embryos begin communicating about 10 days before its time to hatch. After they team up and dig their way out, it’s believed they continue their chatter through entering the ocean.
The most treacherous five minutes of their lives begins right when they reach the surface of their nest. This is why hatching at the perfect moment is crucial for maximizing the survival rate. Even after the mad dash to sea, the beginning of their lives in the water is incredibly dangerous. So, they keep communicating to stay in loose groups for protection.
We’ve known that light pollution can really mess up their journey from the nest to the waves. The brightness of the moon is countered by our artificial light and can misguide the babies.
But now conservationists are considering the effect of noise pollution on sea turtle nests. Loud sounds like boat motors could potentially drown out the important noises within the nest. Confusion on when to hatch would be detrimental to their -already struggling population numbers.
Reducing noise pollution in the environment is a bit tricky individually. But the simplest way to do your part is to buy local products.
Shipping traffic is a big culprit of noise pollution and it affects a lot more than just sea turtles. Sonar for echolocation can be interrupted in whales, dolphins and sea lions. This makes it more difficult to find food or sometimes mates.
Government legislation has the ability to move shipping routes away from marine habitat safe zones. Spreading the word about noise pollution would bring it to the attention of national and international environmental agencies.
They can focus on managing and regulating noise pollution as it has yet to be tackled as a major problem.
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