|
Turtles are cold blooded reptiles. Fossil evidence tells us that these ancient ocean dwellers have been on this earth for at least 150 million years - even before dinosaurs dominated the planet! Leatherback Turtles are the world's largest living reptile today. Leatherbacks live all around the world in both tropical and subtropical seas. As they are highly migratory, they have been spotted as far north as Nova Scotia and as far south as Chile. The leatherback is the only marine turtle that regularly visits the Pacific coast of North America. It inhabits the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans.
"Mafuang" is the Thai translation for leatherback (this is the name of the resort's restaurant for associates, for which they voted on the name)
The leatherback marine turtle has been listed as globally endangered since 1970, and was confirmed as "Critically Endangered in Thailand" in 1996.
After reaching sexual maturity, female leatherbacks return to the same beach where they first hatched, to lay their eggs.
The main food of the adult leatherback consists primarily of jellyfish. Unfortunately, turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and choke on them. (Please dispose of your litter carefully)
The leatherback adult's average weight is 1,110 pounds (449 kg) with an average length of 6 feet (1.8 meters).
The largest known marine turtle was a male leatherback which was found on the coast of Wales in 1988 and was 9 and a half feet long (about 3 meters) and weighed almost 2000 pounds (908 kg!)
The leatherback is the only marine turtle without a shell. Its outer protection is a leathery, scale-less skin made of tough, oil-saturated tissue, adapted for its deep-diving lifestyle. The tissue is raised into seven prominent ridges. This is how the leatherback gets its name. Its coloring is brownish-black with distinctive white spots.
Leatherbacks are very strong swimmers and dive deeper and swim into colder waters than any other marine turtles because of their ability to regulate their body temperature - a feat that not many reptiles can achieve.
They can maintain their body temperature as much as 10 degrees above that of surrounding waters - presumably an adaptation for survival in cold seas. They also have more body fat than other sea turtles. Adult leatherbacks have been known to dive up to 4,922 feet (1500 meters)!
Turtles do not have teeth, but their jaws have modified 'beaks' suited to their particular diet. They do not have visible ears but have eardrums covered by skins. They hear best at low frequencies and their sense of smell is excellent. Their vision underwater is good, but they are nearsighted out of water.
Leatherbacks can lay from 50-180 eggs per nest. Hatching incubation takes from 50-65 days. After hatching, the baby turtles are only two to two and a quarter inches (5-6 cms) long and weight 1.6 oz (45.8g).
The turtle crawls to a dry part of the beach and begins to fling away loose sand with her strong flippers. They then construct a 'body pit' by digging with her flippers and rotating her body. After the body pit is complete, she digs an egg cavity using her cupped rear flippers as shovels. The egg cavity is shaped roughly like a tear drop and is usually slightly tilted.
Eggs come out two to three at a time, with mucus being secreted through egg .laying. Because the eggs are flexible, they do not break as they fall into the chamber. This allows both the female and the nest to hold more eggs.
Once all the eggs are in the chamber, the mother turtle uses her rear flippers to push sand over the top of the egg cavity. Gradually, she packs the sand down over the top and then begins using her front flippers to refill the body pit and disguise the nest. By throwing sand in all directions, it is much harder for predators to find the nest.
Once a female has left her nest, she never returns to it.
Female leatherbacks may nest several times in a season once they have been fertilized, however each nesting season is followed by two years of non-breeding.
Unlike baby alligators which are liberated from their nest by their mother, sea turtle hatchlings must do it all themselves. To break open their shells, hatchlings use a temporary, sharp egg-tooth, called a "caruncle". This is an extension of the upper jaw that falls off soon after birth. Digging out of the nest is a group effort that can take several days.
While turtles are strong swimmers , they move on land with great difficulty because they are so heavy.
Hatchlings usually emerge from their nest at night or during a rainstorm when temperatures are cooler. Once they decide to burst out, they erupt from the nest cavity as a group. The little turtles orient themselves to the brightest horizon, and then dash towards the sea. If they don't make it to the ocean quickly, many will die of dehydration in the sun or be caught by predators like birds or crabs.
The obstacles are numerous for baby turtles - only about one in 1,000 survives to adulthood.
The temperature of the sand governs the speed at which the embryos develop. The hotter the sand surrounding the nest, the faster the embryos will develop. Cooler sand has a tendency to produce more males, with warmer sand producing a higher ratio of females.
The male leatherback never comes on land after leaving the beach on which it was born.
Biologists believe leatherback turtles reproduce when they are 20-25 years old, by which they have reached about 1.5 meters in size
Turtles can live for over 100 years
The leatherback population is dropping quickly and dramatically. Scientists believe commercial fishing is the most likely reason for this decline. Other reasons that have bought the leatherback and other sea turtles to the edge of extinction are:
Accidentally getting caught and drowning in tuna and swordfish fisheries and shrimp nets
Commercial exploitation of sea turtle eggs
Pollution of the oceans, including chemical contamination
Ingestion of plastic bags and other garbage
Human exploitation - eating the eggs and flesh of the turtles and using the shell for ornaments, sunglasses, jewelry etc.
Destruction of nesting beaches by insensitive development of seawalls, industrial and other infrastructure projects.
Disruptive activities on or near nesting beaches during nesting season, such as activity, noise, lights, etc.
It is because of these last two reasons that JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa: Has set construction of main buildings back from the beachfront Has designed hotel lighting such that it cannot be seen from the beachfront area.
Discourages guests from wandering the beaches during the late night hours (after 9:00pm) in the turtle nesting season.
Does not hold beachfront activities during the night in turtle nesting season.
Removes any equipment from the beachfront area at night
A Summary of Conservation Activities Conducted by local Mai Khao Villagers
As long as a generation ago, Mai Khao villagers had a tradition of holding "marine turtle walks" where villagers would plan picnics at the beach and take their children for walks in the evening hours with great hopes of catching a glimpse of the magnificent Leatherback turtle which was the major marine turtle species nesting in this area. Other species included the Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, and Loggerhead marine turtles; however, the Loggerhead turtle has been extinct from this area for many years now. Children would beg their parents to take them on these walks and older children would go on their own or in small groups. The objective was to simply get a glimpse of the illusive marine repti1es. After the decline in nesting individuals became obvious as a trend and not just an anomaly, the Mai Khao villagers began to search for ways to conserve the creatures that had become a part of their very culture and traditions. Below is a brief outline of these activities.
1990 WFT (Wildlife Fund Thailand) /WWF small grants program approved
a project submitted by the Phuket Environmental Conservation Club to work with Mai Khao villagers on marine turtle conservation.
1991 Established the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Conservation Fund. Egg
collection and hatchery and release of hatchlings.
1991-1994 Villagers working on their own with regular consultation and assistance from WFT Coastal Wetlands Conservation Project staff
1994-1996 There was a lull in activities during this period.
1998-2000 Revived project with additional funds &om the Barbara Delano Foundation. During this period there was an increased interest and participation in the village from other groups including local businesses and the newly established Sub-district Administrative Council (TAO). Activities for the annual hatchling release in April were revived and coordinated with and advertised through the Tourism Authority of Thailand, local hotels, and Internet websites. The event is attended by large numbers of tourists in addition to local villagers. Some international tourists arrange annual vacation dates around attending this event.
2000-2002 Mai Khao Sea Turtle Conservation Fund working on it s own with beach patrol, hatchery operations, annual hatchling release in April. WFT participates in a cooperative/consultative manner.
2002 Establishment of the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation by
JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa
In the Similan Islands
The Royal Thai Navy also regularly patrols beaches in the nearby Similan Island
for intruders and poachers. They also protect the cams laid on the remote islands
Questions and Answers
What is the Difference between a Turtle and a Tortoise?
The main difference is that tortoises live on land and turtles live in water (both fresh water and sea water). Tortoises are also vegetarians while turtles love to catch fish, shrimps, crabs and even jellyfish. Otherwise they are quite similar. They both have armour that protects their body from above and below. At the slightest hint of danger they withdrawn their head and feet, closing off the openings in the front and the back with the hard scaly skin on their legs, turning themselves into what looks and feels like a stone.
What other Types of Turtles are there in Thailand? Other types of turtles are
The Green Turtle - recognizable by it's hard round shell (carapace) with a distinctive pattern, rather like a soccer ball. It has green body fat, hence it's name. They average 136kg (3DOlbs) in weight. Green turtles are also endangered.
The Hawksbill Turtle - characterized by a more oval shell, with a beautiful reddish or dark brown color. It gets its name from its birdlike beak and is one of the smaller sea turtles average around 60kgs (1351bs). Because of worldwide decline, the Hawksbill is listed as "Critically Endangered" in International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List.
The Olive Ridley Turtle - recognized by its olive grey color with an oval shaped shell and smallest size, with an average weight of only 39kg (85 1bs). While globally Olive Ridley's are thought to be the most abundant of the six endangered marine turtles, in Thailand the number of nests on three major nesting beaches declined dramatically from 350 in 1985 to just 11 in 2000!
Can we see Turtles?
Yes - you can visit the Phuket Aquarium and the Navy Turtle Protection Center.
See the Concierge for more details and assistance to arrange your visit.
What to do if you see a turtle laying eggs.
If you are lucky enough to see a turtle during the nesting season, here are some simple guidelines
Do not walk on the beach with a flashlight or shine a light in the turtle's face. The light may cause the female to stop the nesting process, or other turtles nearby may be discouraged from nesting if there are lights on the beach.
Do not take pictures using flashes. This high-intensity light can be even more disturbing than the flashlights.
Stay quiet and still - noise and movement will frighten the turtle away. Stay out of sight of the turtle, otherwise you may scare her back to the sea
Do not get near the turtle’s head. Sea turtles have very strong jaws and can harm you if provoked. Like any mother, they are very protective of their young.
Do not approach the nest, handle the eggs or put any foreign objects into the nest. You can introduce bacteria or injure the eggs.
Do not touch the turtle. In addition to being illegal, you may injure her or cause her to leave without finishing laying her eggs.
Do enjoy this magical and special experience and remember it for a lifetime.
Thank you for helping the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation
<< back |
