scholarly journals Effects of Ground Transport in Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) Turtles

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
K E Hunt ◽  
C Merigo ◽  
E A Burgess ◽  
C Loren Buck ◽  
D Davis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stress Response ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Clinical Status ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Cape Cod ◽  
Lepidochelys Kempii ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Kemp's Ridley

Synopsis Many juvenile Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) turtles strand during fall on the beaches of Cape Cod (MA, USA), with total stranding numbers sometimes exceeding 300 turtles per year. Once rehabilitated, turtles must be released at beaches with appropriate water temperatures, often requiring transportation to southeastern coastal states of the USA. These transportation events (transports) may approach or exceed 24 h in duration. Kemp’s ridley turtles are known to exhibit an adrenal stress response during such transports, but the effect of transport duration has been unclear, and no other sea turtle species has been investigated. To assess whether transport duration and/or species affects physiological reactions to transport, we studied pre- and post-transport physiological measures in Kemp’s ridley and loggerhead turtles transported by ground for <6, ∼12, ∼18, or ∼24 h, comparing with matched “control events” in which turtles were studied without transport. Blood samples were analyzed for four stress-associated measures (corticosterone, glucose, total white blood cell [WBC] count, and heterophil/lymphocyte ratio [H/L]) and nine measures of clinical status (pH, pO2, pCO2, HCO3, sodium, potassium, ionized calcium, lactate, and hematocrit). In both species, stress-associated measures elevated significantly during transport, while handling without transport had no significant effects. Loggerheads exhibited a greater stress response than Kemp’s ridleys across all transport durations. These results indicate that sea turtles do react physiologically to ground transport; therefore, minimizing transport time and streamlining transport logistics (where feasible) may help ensure release of rehabilitated turtles to sea in the best possible condition. Nonetheless, both species remained in good clinical condition even after 24 h transport, indicating that current transport protocols are generally safe for sea turtles from a clinical perspective.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Respiratory Microbiome and the Use of Tracheal Lavage as a Diagnostic Tool in Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles (Lepidochelys kempii)

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2927
Author(s):  
Kerry L. McNally ◽  
Jennifer L. Bowen ◽  
Jennifer O. Brisson ◽  
Adam Kennedy ◽  
Charles J. Innis
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Respiratory Tract ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Lepidochelys Kempii ◽  
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽  
Tracheal Lavage ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Kemp's Ridley

Respiratory disease is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in sea turtles, including the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii). Although culture-dependent methods are typically used to characterize microbes associated with pneumonia and to determine treatment, culture-independent methods can provide a deeper understanding of the respiratory microbial communities and lead to a more accurate diagnosis. In this study, we characterized the tracheal lavage microbiome from cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley sea turtles at three time points during rehabilitation (intake, rehabilitation, and convalescence) by analyzing the 16S rRNA gene collected from tracheal lavage samples. We retrospectively developed a radiographic scoring system to grade the severity of lung abnormalities in these turtles and found no differences in diversity or composition of microbial communities based on radiographic score. We also found that the culture isolates from tracheal lavage samples, as well as other previously reported sea turtle pathogens, were present in variable abundance across sequenced samples. In addition to the tracheal microbial community of live turtles, we characterized microbial communities from other segments of the respiratory tract (glottis, trachea, anterior lung, posterior lung) from deceased turtles. We found a high degree of variability within turtles and a high degree of dissimilarity between different segments of the respiratory tract and the tracheal lavage collected from the same turtle. In summary, we found that the pulmonary microbial community associated with pneumonia in sea turtles is complex and does not correlate well with the microbial community as identified by tracheal lavage. These results underscore the limitations of using tracheal lavage for identification of the causative agents of pneumonia in sea turtles.

scholarly journals Ocular ultrasonography of sea turtles

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina Muramoto ◽  
Vinícius Cardoso-Brito ◽  
Ana Cláudia Raposo ◽  
Thais Torres Pires ◽  
Arianne Pontes Oriá
Keyword(s):  
Anterior Chamber ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Corneal Thickness ◽  
Anterior Chamber Depth ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Olive Ridley ◽  
Turtle Species

Abstract Background Environmental changes contribute to the development of ophthalmic diseases in sea turtles, but information on their eye biometrics is scarce. The aim of this study was to describe ophthalmic ultrasonographic features of four different sea turtle species; Caretta caretta (Loggerhead turtle; n = 10), Chelonia mydas (Green turtle; n = 8), Eretmochelys imbricata (Hawksbill turtle; n = 8) and Lepidochelys olivacea (Olive ridley; n = 6) under human care. Corneal thickness, scleral ossicle width and thickness, anterior chamber depth, axial length of the lens, vitreous chamber depth and axial globe length were measured by B-mode sonography with a linear transducer. Carapace size and animal weight were recorded. A sonographic description of the eye structures was established. Results The four species presented an ovate eyeball, a relatively thin cornea, and a small-sized lens positioned rostrally in the eye bulb, near the cornea, resulting in a shallow anterior chamber. The scleral ossicles did not prevent the evaluation of intraocular structures, even with a rotated eye or closed eyelids; image formation beyond the ossicles and measurements of all proposed structures were possible. B-mode sonography was easily performed in all animals studied. The sonographic characteristics of the eye were similar among the four species. Since there was a correlation between the size of the eye structures and the size of the individual, especially its carapace size, the differences found between E. imbricata and Caretta caretta are believed to be due to their overall difference in size. Conclusions Sonography is a valuable tool in ophthalmic evaluation of these species. Only minor differences were found between the species in this study, reinforcing their phylogenetic proximity and their similar functions and habitats.

scholarly journals PATHOLOGIC AND PARASITOLOGIC FINDINGS OF COLD-STUNNED KEMP’S RIDLEY SEA TURTLES (LEPIDOCHELYS KEMPII) STRANDED ON CAPE COD, MASSACHUSETTS, 2001–2006

2009 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 594-610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Innis ◽  
Akinyi C. Nyaoke ◽  
C. Rogers Williams ◽  
Bridget Dunnigan ◽  
Constance Merigo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Cape Cod ◽  
Lepidochelys Kempii ◽  
Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles ◽  
Kemp's Ridley

scholarly journals INVITED ARTICLE FROM THE 2021 TEXAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE TEXAS DISTINGUISHED SCIENTIST

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna J. Shaver
Keyword(s):  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Scientific Publications ◽  
Corpus Christi ◽  
Lifetime Achievement ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Padre Island ◽  
Conservation Projects ◽  
Kemp's Ridley

Donna Shaver is the Chief of the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery at Padre Island National Seashore and the Texas Coordinator of the U.S. Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sea Turtle Society in 2018, the 2013 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Recovery Champion Award for Agency Partner in 2014, the Corpus Christi Caller Times 2011 Newsmaker of the Year in 2012, and she was the ABC World News Tonight’s Person of the Week on July 29, 2005. She has studied Texas sea turtles since 1980 and is well known for her leadership role in the recovery of the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle. Her studies describing sea turtle migratory and foraging habitat use, as well as nesting and stranding trends, have led to increased protections for sea turtles in Texas and beyond. With over 400 scientific publications and presentations, Shaver is distinguished as one of the top sea turtle biologists in the USA and was named the 2021 Texas Distinguished Scientist at the annual meeting of the Texas Academy of Science. Shaver oversees a variety of sea turtle research and conservation projects conducted in Texas, collaborates with other researchers in the USA and Mexico, and provides training and leadership to hundreds of biologists and volunteers working with sea turtles in Texas.

The ontogeny of morphological defenses in Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) and loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles

2015 ◽  
Vol 276 (8) ◽  
pp. 929-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Salmon ◽  
Benjamin Higgins ◽  
Joshua Stewart ◽  
Jeanette Wyneken
Keyword(s):  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Lepidochelys Kempii ◽  
Kemp's Ridley ◽  
Morphological Defenses

Surgical Repair of Severe Flipper Lacerations in a Loggerhead, Caretta caretta, and a Kemp's Ridley, Lepidochelys kempii, Sea Turtle

2009 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 744-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie L. Church ◽  
Michael S. Grafinger ◽  
Craig A. Harms ◽  
Gregory A. Lewbart ◽  
Larry S. Christian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Repair ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Lepidochelys Kempii ◽  
Kemp's Ridley
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document