Sea Turtles Flashcards
What do Loggerheads eat?
molluscs, crabs
Loggerhead sea turtles-weight
100-180kg
Loggerheads-endangered or threatened?
- some endangered
- our northern atlantic population threatened
The loggerhead’s beak is suited for ____________
crushing
Kemp’s Ridley distribution
- Gulf of Mexico
- Atlantic
- Rancho Nuevo nesting concentration
Most numerous sea turtle
Olive ridley
Ridley Sea Turtle diet
Crabs, molluscs, fish
Arribadas
large nesting aggregations
Ridley Sea Turtles-weight
35-50kg
What are the largest hardshelled sea turtles?
Green sea turtles & loggerheads
Distribution of Green Sea Turtles
Circumglobal
Most herbivorous sea turtles?
Green Sea Turtles
What populations of Green Sea Turtles are endangered?
Florida and Pacific Mexico populations
These sea turtles are “grazers”
Green Sea Turtles
The most tropical sea turtles are ___________
Hawksbill Sea Turtles
Hawksbill Sea Turtles-weight
60-80kg
Hawksbill Sea Turtle distribution
Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Oceans & Gulf of Mexico
Which sea turtles are spongivores?
Hawksbill Sea Turtles
Hawksbill Sea Turtle - endangered or threatened?
endangered
Distribution of Flatback Sea Turtles
Australia
Flatback Sea Turtles and __________ Sea Turtles are most closely related
Green
Flatback Sea Turtle-weight
up to 90 kg
What do leatherback sea turtles eat?
jellyfish
Leatherback Sea Turtle distribution
Circumglobal; widest latitudinal range
Leatherback sea turtles-endangered or threatened?
endangered
Structures used to key out sea turtles
prefrontal, lateral, vertebral, and inframarginal scutes
Which turtles have inframarginal pores or Rathke’s glands?
Ridleys
Why is it important to consider the shell is vascular, metabolically active tissue?
Need to consider it because of drug calculations and pain management
The plastron is derived from what structure?
scapula, interscapula, gastralia
T/F Scutes do not correspond to underlying bone
True
Leatherback jaws/tomium are adapted for _______
slicing
Describe anatomy/physiology of respiration in sea turtles
- No diaphragm
- Respiration is NOT dependent on negative thoracic pressure
- lung expansion is affected by the muscles surrounding the limbs
- complete tracheal rings and a short trachea
- lungs are dorsal and extend far caudal
Sex determination in sea turtles
warm temp-F
cooler temp-M
pivotal temperature around 29 C
Location of pelvic and pectoral girdles in sea turtles
within rib cage
Sea turtle heart
Three chambered; two atria, one ventricle
Dimorphic characteristics of adult sea turtles
- tail length
- curved first digit of males for holding on to F
- plastron softening of males in breeding season
Purpose of well-developed esophageal papilla
keep food down while allowing sea water out
Loggerhead distribution
Patchy
- N & SW Indian Ocean
- E Australia
- Japan
- SE US
- Mediterranean
- S Brazil
Species with papilla extending into oral cavity
leatherback
Sea turtle restraint principles
- don’t grab flippers-can dislocate shoulder joint
- carapace can be used for handle
- tire restraint
- back restraint plus tie down (but be careful flipping back over the same way so as to avoid torsion and recognize their weight will be on lungs)
- anesthesia
Anesthetic agents for use in sea turtles
- Medetomidine/dexmedetomidine, ketamine
- atipamezole for reversal
- sevoflurane
- propofol for induction/short procedures
Venipuncture sites for turtles
- external jugular vein (dorsal cervical sinus)
- interdigital v.
- dorsal caudal (tail) vein in males
- femoral vein/rete (Leatherbacks)
- subcarapacial vein/sinus-freshwater turtles
Ca/P ratio in turtles?
- may be mildly inverted (but still close to 1:1)
- pronounced inversion may be due to malnourishment, cold stuns, and captive green turtles on squid and fish diets
BUN is normally high in most turtles, EXCEPT______?
green and leatherback turtles
Hematocrit in sea turtles?
increases w/ age
Maturational effects on clin path in juvenile green sea turtles
- light plasma pigmentation after settling and switching to herbivory
- Incr. w/ size: Cr, TP, Alb, glob, triglycerides, and iron
- Decr. w/ size: Cl, BUN, Ca, ALP
Sea turtles w/ widest latitudinal range
Leatherback
Most tropical sea turtle
Hawksbill
Fibropapillomatosis primarily affects what turtles?
Greens in Florida and Hawaii; new hotspot in South Texas
Possible vectors of fibropapillomatosis
leeches, cleaner wrasses
Dimorphic characteristics of adult turtles
longer tail; downward-curved first digit of foreflipper
Why do you need to make sure to do a direct fecal exam?
trematodes sink
Concern with bad carapace fractures
could affect lungs due to dorsal location of lungs
