1 00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:07,880 Speaker 1: Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind. My name 2 00:00:07,920 --> 00:00:10,800 Speaker 1: is Robert Lamb and I'm Joe McCormick, and it's Saturday. 3 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,080 Speaker 1: Time for an older episode of the show. This one 4 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:18,759 Speaker 1: originally aired June. It's the interview that we did with 5 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:23,239 Speaker 1: the marine researcher and conservationist Christine Figner. A lot of 6 00:00:23,239 --> 00:00:26,560 Speaker 1: it's about sea turtles. Yeah, just a fair warning though 7 00:00:26,600 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: that there is some some graphic content in here concerning 8 00:00:30,160 --> 00:00:34,159 Speaker 1: sea turtle conservation and some bad things happening to sea turtles, 9 00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: So just a heads up that that's coming. But still 10 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 1: great episode and not highly recommend it. Welcome to Stuff 11 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:52,880 Speaker 1: to Blow Your Mind, production of My Heart Radio. Hey 12 00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 1: you welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind. My name 13 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:57,440 Speaker 1: is Robert Lamb and I'm Joe McCormick, and we've got 14 00:00:57,440 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: a really great interview to share with you today. This 15 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:04,520 Speaker 1: is with Dr Christine Figner. Uh So, as a way 16 00:01:04,560 --> 00:01:09,400 Speaker 1: of introduction, Dr Christine Figner is a marine conservation biologist 17 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:13,319 Speaker 1: and science communicator who has been really successful on social media. 18 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:17,360 Speaker 1: Sometimes known as the Sea Turtle straw Lady, she has 19 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 1: raised global awareness of the issue of ocean plastic pollution 20 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 1: and has been studying sea turtles for over fifteen years. 21 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: You might have seen her in a viral video moment 22 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 1: where she was she and her research team were removing 23 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: a plastic straw that was lodged in a sea turtles nose, 24 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 1: and of course that video triggered a lot of thought 25 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 1: about what is what is the effect of, say, single 26 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:44,639 Speaker 1: use plastics such as plastic straws in on marine life. 27 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,520 Speaker 1: Christine Today is a is a science communicator who uh 28 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: speaks at events about her sea turtle conservation work, fighting 29 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 1: plastic pollution, and empowering women in science. In eighteen, Time 30 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: Magazine honored her outreach and advocacy efforts by naming her 31 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: a Next Generation Leader. As Director of Science and Education 32 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,919 Speaker 1: for the US based Footprint Foundation, she travels the globe 33 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: educating people about the effects of plastic pollution on our 34 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:14,320 Speaker 1: environment and human health, and inspiring people to reduce their 35 00:02:14,400 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: use of plastic. She's also the co founder and scientific 36 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: lead of a community centered, grassroots conservation organization in Costa 37 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: Rica that is researching and protecting sea turtles. Christine's overall 38 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 1: goal is to reach as many people as possible with 39 00:02:28,280 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: her message to eliminate plastic from our environment, save sea 40 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: turtles from extinction, empower women in science, and make our 41 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 1: planets safer and healthier for wildlife and people alike. So 42 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 1: that's just a really fun chat. Let's go ahead and 43 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 1: dive into it. Let's get into some gnarly uh facts 44 00:02:44,360 --> 00:02:50,320 Speaker 1: and stories about sea turtles. We have all sea turtle 45 00:02:50,400 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 1: questions for you here today that we may ask you 46 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:56,320 Speaker 1: whale stuff too, because you were you were also originally 47 00:02:56,320 --> 00:03:01,239 Speaker 1: interested in cetations, right, Yeah, somebody did the homework on me. Yeah, 48 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: I became a marine biologist because I love humpbag whales. 49 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:10,079 Speaker 1: Oh did you happen to read the story of supposedly 50 00:03:10,120 --> 00:03:12,440 Speaker 1: a man off the coast province town It was a 51 00:03:12,440 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: lobster diver reported that he was temporarily swallowed by a 52 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: humpback whale. Do you believe it's true? Creepy and funny? 53 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 1: Is that allegedly it's the same guy that like a 54 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:27,280 Speaker 1: few years ago, survived airplane crash in Costa Rica, one 55 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:30,760 Speaker 1: of the few survivors. Wow you about having more than 56 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:34,079 Speaker 1: one life? Yeah? Well wait, so do you have any 57 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:35,880 Speaker 1: reason to be skeptical of the story or do you 58 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 1: think it's plausible that he did go into the humpback 59 00:03:37,960 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 1: whales mouth and then was spit out. I think that's possible. 60 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: I don't think it was swallowed. I just think I 61 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:46,000 Speaker 1: mean not swallowed all the way right, So I think probably. 62 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: I mean, if you've ever seen humpbag whales feeding, right, 63 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: so they kind of have those bubble curtains and then 64 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: they just go in and just like open their mouths 65 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: wide just to like, you know, swallow the largest quantity possible. 66 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: And if you happen to just be there. But I'm 67 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:02,360 Speaker 1: sure that w I was like, oh my god, what's 68 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: that in my mouth? Is just like wrong place, wrong time. Huh. Well, 69 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: we just we just jumped right into it. Maybe we 70 00:04:10,960 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 1: should back up and uh and actually get officially started. Um. 71 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:16,520 Speaker 1: So one place we do like to start here is Christine. 72 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:20,040 Speaker 1: Can you just introduce yourself to the audience, stating your name, 73 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:23,760 Speaker 1: your title, as well as any key affiliations or employers 74 00:04:23,880 --> 00:04:26,160 Speaker 1: organizations that you want right up there at the top 75 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:29,240 Speaker 1: with your ID. Yeah, my name is Christine figure. I 76 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: am I Trade the marine biologist, and I have been 77 00:04:32,800 --> 00:04:36,919 Speaker 1: working on the interface between conservation and applied signs for 78 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 1: about more than fifteen years now, mainly with sea turtles, 79 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:44,560 Speaker 1: but also with cetaceans a wells and dolphins. And right 80 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:49,480 Speaker 1: now I am running a small community based grassroots organization 81 00:04:49,640 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: in Constrica that is protecting sea turtles. And I'm also 82 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,599 Speaker 1: the director of science and Education for the US based 83 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:00,160 Speaker 1: Footprint Foundation, which is we're trying to convince peop well 84 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: to reduce their use of plastics. So that's pretty much 85 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 1: me and I'm nutshell. I guess. So you mentioned that 86 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 1: you were originally interested in cetations before you got into 87 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: sea turtles as a research area. What how did you 88 00:05:13,080 --> 00:05:14,599 Speaker 1: How did you make that leap? And I guess you 89 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:17,200 Speaker 1: can back all the way up to cetations if you want. Yeah, 90 00:05:17,279 --> 00:05:21,040 Speaker 1: I mean, I in my teens. You know, we're usually 91 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:24,800 Speaker 1: people are obsessing about boy bands. I guess I'm not 92 00:05:24,839 --> 00:05:28,120 Speaker 1: going to say which one was popular during my times 93 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: because that would review my age, I guess um. But 94 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:36,279 Speaker 1: instead of that, I was actually collecting, you know, posters 95 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,480 Speaker 1: and articles and other stuff about whales and dolphins. And 96 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:44,599 Speaker 1: I particularly loved hum big whales. So I I played music. 97 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: I played the guitar, and I sing and I always thought, 98 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:49,240 Speaker 1: you know, it would be so cool to study the 99 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: songs of humping whales. You know, it's kind of a 100 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,320 Speaker 1: cultural thing, and it would have combined a lot of 101 00:05:54,360 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: my interest into like this one thing. But then I 102 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:01,920 Speaker 1: happened to have the chance to go to Constrica on 103 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:05,560 Speaker 1: a sea turtle or into a sea turtle project when 104 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:09,480 Speaker 1: I did my master's into a leather back project, very specific, 105 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:13,280 Speaker 1: and I totally fell in love with that type of 106 00:06:13,320 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: work because it's super hands on. I don't think there's 107 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:20,080 Speaker 1: that many you know jobs as a wildlife biologist where 108 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 1: you can be with such a large animal, you know, 109 00:06:23,800 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: for extended times in the natural environment without having to 110 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,600 Speaker 1: you know, tranquilize them or restrain them even in any 111 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,280 Speaker 1: shape or form. And it was so impressive, just like 112 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 1: the environment. Right, So, you're on these tropical beaches, have 113 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:42,159 Speaker 1: this incredible you know, biodiversity all around you. You have 114 00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:44,560 Speaker 1: the jungle right next to you on one side, and 115 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:46,480 Speaker 1: you have you know, the vast ocean on the other. 116 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:50,760 Speaker 1: You have this incredible night sky over your head, and 117 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: then you just you know, walk, you know, kilometers and 118 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:57,720 Speaker 1: hours without end on the beach just to find this 119 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:01,400 Speaker 1: like one track that leads up to the verm, up 120 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 1: to the vegetation and you hope that the turtle is 121 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,160 Speaker 1: still there. And then once you see the turtle, it's 122 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 1: just you know, they're real life dinosaurs if you think 123 00:07:10,360 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 1: about it, right, they have been around for hundred on 124 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 1: a hundreds, but definitely more than a hundred million years, 125 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: especially leather bags, which are like the oldest lineage of 126 00:07:19,040 --> 00:07:21,720 Speaker 1: sea turtles that we still have. And when you just 127 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:26,119 Speaker 1: sit next to them, they're massive. I mean, they're absolutely gigdentists. 128 00:07:26,520 --> 00:07:29,520 Speaker 1: And you can see them, you know, using their real 129 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:33,840 Speaker 1: flippers just like hands, digging their acts chamberers squeezing out 130 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 1: the eggs, creating a new generation. And yeah, I totally 131 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: I was totally in awe and I just thought, Okay, 132 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:42,040 Speaker 1: this is like the coolest thing I've ever done in 133 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: my life. And that is just how I fell in 134 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 1: love and just stayed with it. Wow, you know, speaking 135 00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 1: of just how long sea turtles have been around, Um, well, 136 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:55,480 Speaker 1: what is it about the sea turtle that has enabled 137 00:07:55,480 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 1: it to survive while so many other marine reptiles have 138 00:07:58,200 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: gone extinct? Like what is what do you think is 139 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: a winning design of the sea turtle? You know, that's 140 00:08:02,240 --> 00:08:04,000 Speaker 1: that's a really good question. And I don't think we 141 00:08:04,080 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: have like a definite answer. I think, especially in evolutionary biology, 142 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 1: we always make very many intelligent guesses. But of course, 143 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:15,720 Speaker 1: at one point there were a lot more sea turtle 144 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 1: species than there are nowadays. As so we are down 145 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: to seven, seven extent species. And if you look at 146 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: the seven species right now, it's really interesting because they 147 00:08:26,400 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: all have similar ecologies to certain degree because you know, 148 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 1: you can find them in usually warmer waters because the 149 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: active therm, so that means they cannot regulate their own 150 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,320 Speaker 1: body temperature, so that means they have to get an 151 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 1: outside source to really you know, get their metabolism going. 152 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:46,720 Speaker 1: So that means you find them in tropical waters subtropical waters, 153 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 1: and they're all coming onto the beach to nest. But 154 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 1: then if you look at that diet, and I think 155 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:56,000 Speaker 1: that is really the key is you know, how they diversified. 156 00:08:56,200 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: It's really over the over the access of the diet. 157 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: So we have very specialized species such as the hawks 158 00:09:02,480 --> 00:09:04,959 Speaker 1: bill or the leather bags. Of the hawks bill feeds 159 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:09,040 Speaker 1: mainly on sponges. The leather bag feeds mainly on jellyfish. 160 00:09:09,120 --> 00:09:10,959 Speaker 1: I mean, that's another really cool thing if you think 161 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:13,560 Speaker 1: about how large that animal is that feeds on an 162 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 1: animal that's just barely you know, anything other than water. Um. 163 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:21,319 Speaker 1: Then we have green turtles that are as adults that 164 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:24,520 Speaker 1: these mainly herbivorous, so they're very different in their you know, 165 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 1: trophic niche as we would say scientists. So that means, 166 00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 1: you know, they have very different diet and that is 167 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:33,760 Speaker 1: probably the the secret to their you know, coexistence, that 168 00:09:33,800 --> 00:09:37,080 Speaker 1: they're not competing with each other for resources. And the 169 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:41,760 Speaker 1: other thing is, see, turtles are incredible resilience. So I've 170 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:45,280 Speaker 1: never met um animals that are so resilient. I mean, 171 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:49,240 Speaker 1: I've seen so many turtles that have suffered incredible injuries 172 00:09:49,600 --> 00:09:53,560 Speaker 1: literally you know, amputations of limbs or really crazy damage 173 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: to their to their shell, and they still able to survive, 174 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:00,360 Speaker 1: and not just survive, but you know, still kind of 175 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:03,800 Speaker 1: go with their biological program go and nates come up 176 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:06,000 Speaker 1: to the beach and lay their eggs even though they 177 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:10,000 Speaker 1: might have literally no real flippers anymore, or massive slashes 178 00:10:10,120 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 1: in their carapace. I mean, I've seen really really sad things. 179 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:15,319 Speaker 1: But it also makes me think, wow, yeah, I mean 180 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:18,840 Speaker 1: you're really resilient, so that means things might not face 181 00:10:18,920 --> 00:10:23,040 Speaker 1: you as much as others. And they're also pretty widespread, right, 182 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:26,200 Speaker 1: So that means we have really settled and almost all 183 00:10:26,320 --> 00:10:31,319 Speaker 1: tropical waters. So um, even if maybe one population might 184 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:34,640 Speaker 1: go extinct, they are probably able to repopulate, you know, 185 00:10:34,800 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 1: into in from that population into other areas again. And 186 00:10:38,120 --> 00:10:40,240 Speaker 1: that might have been you know, the secret of why 187 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: they were able to survive so long, because they were 188 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:46,080 Speaker 1: probably able to first of all, migrate into into other 189 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: places if if things became inhabitable or were able to 190 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:54,840 Speaker 1: you know, diversify that diet over the course of millions 191 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:58,720 Speaker 1: of years. And it seems also be the body plan 192 00:10:58,840 --> 00:11:01,319 Speaker 1: that they have seems to be really successful. Right. So 193 00:11:01,679 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 1: I don't know if everybody knows that, but turtles, not 194 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: just sea turtles. Um. Their shell is actually made from 195 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 1: their rip catche that merged together. So the single rips 196 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:14,520 Speaker 1: it's kind of you know, became bony and just like yeah, 197 00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 1: became the shell. So the shell is actually the vertebra 198 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 1: and the rips and everything else like your shoulder blades 199 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:26,800 Speaker 1: and everything moved inside. So they have created this incredible armor. 200 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:30,880 Speaker 1: I mean, in German, if you translate like turtle, it 201 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: actually means shielded toad because they habits like shield and protected, right, um. 202 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:39,560 Speaker 1: And that means, of course that once sea turtles have 203 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 1: reached a certain body size, there's not that many natural 204 00:11:43,880 --> 00:11:47,079 Speaker 1: predators that are actually able to eat a turtle, right 205 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:50,000 Speaker 1: So right now, I mean, we're taking like humans aside 206 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,720 Speaker 1: at this point, but if you're talking about natural predators, 207 00:11:53,120 --> 00:11:56,400 Speaker 1: it's really only about you know, the animals really strong 208 00:11:56,440 --> 00:11:59,319 Speaker 1: mandibles that can crack that shell. So that's the tiger shark, 209 00:12:00,200 --> 00:12:03,000 Speaker 1: the j jack wires, and it's crocodiles that might be 210 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:05,560 Speaker 1: able to really eat an entire turtle. I mean, they 211 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 1: might be able otherwise to take like a bite out 212 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:10,280 Speaker 1: of flipper, but that's not the less just pipe with 213 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:12,800 Speaker 1: all the fat and all the all the meats, it's 214 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:15,480 Speaker 1: all inside of the shell, right, So correct me if 215 00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:18,439 Speaker 1: I'm wrong. But I believe there's still some mystery about 216 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:21,400 Speaker 1: the sort of step wise evolutionary process that led to 217 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:23,480 Speaker 1: the turtle having a shell? Isn't there? Because I think 218 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:26,960 Speaker 1: I was reading that um, it's sort of hypothesized that 219 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:29,559 Speaker 1: maybe a middle stage was first you had some kind 220 00:12:29,640 --> 00:12:32,760 Speaker 1: of lizard like creature that had a wide, large rib cage, 221 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:35,560 Speaker 1: and then maybe in between it had a body plan 222 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: that was sort of like you would see with models 223 00:12:37,640 --> 00:12:40,800 Speaker 1: of the Ankleosaurus where they're sort of plates all over 224 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,439 Speaker 1: the back and then over time those plates fused. Is 225 00:12:43,480 --> 00:12:45,679 Speaker 1: that sort of in the right direction. Yeah. I mean 226 00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 1: I'm not an expert on like you know, the paleontology 227 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:52,960 Speaker 1: I think, or like the actual um evolution of of 228 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: like the body plan. But what's interesting if you just 229 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:57,680 Speaker 1: look back, for example, or even just look at the 230 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 1: lad back. So we have seven species as I set, 231 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:03,480 Speaker 1: and six of them all belong to the height shell 232 00:13:03,559 --> 00:13:06,320 Speaker 1: turtles um, so it's kind of the same group. And 233 00:13:06,360 --> 00:13:08,280 Speaker 1: then we have the leather back turtles, which are their 234 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 1: own lineage, and leather bags actually look a lot more 235 00:13:12,400 --> 00:13:15,600 Speaker 1: like the you know, the the older lineages as well, 236 00:13:15,640 --> 00:13:18,440 Speaker 1: because they have a reduced carapace. So leather bags are 237 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: pretty much named because they have a soft shell, so 238 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:24,320 Speaker 1: they do not have those bony plates. Um. If you 239 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 1: look at it at a skeleton of the leather bag, 240 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:27,840 Speaker 1: you will not exactly see what I just said where 241 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 1: the grips have grown together, so it's it's more like 242 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:34,000 Speaker 1: cartilage um um. And parts of it is it's just 243 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:37,000 Speaker 1: like a reduced shell. And our colon, for example, which 244 00:13:37,040 --> 00:13:40,360 Speaker 1: is one of the you know, first sea turtles that 245 00:13:40,679 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 1: that we've known of from the fossil finds looks a 246 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:45,600 Speaker 1: lot like leather bags, so they have you know, they 247 00:13:45,640 --> 00:13:48,200 Speaker 1: have some type of shell, but it's more a reduced shell. 248 00:13:48,760 --> 00:13:52,079 Speaker 1: And also I think and other fossil finds, you can 249 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:55,400 Speaker 1: see that certain sea turtles, for example, had a like 250 00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 1: a stronger plastron which is like the belly part of 251 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:02,480 Speaker 1: the shell, so as you know, um, like kind of 252 00:14:02,520 --> 00:14:06,240 Speaker 1: a reinforced carapace which is the upper part of the shell, 253 00:14:06,559 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 1: and vice versa. So it might have been like different 254 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 1: pressures for example, of where your natural predators came from. 255 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:15,160 Speaker 1: So if you were mainly you know, attacked from the bottom, 256 00:14:15,200 --> 00:14:17,800 Speaker 1: maybe it was you know, advantageous to have you know, 257 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 1: a kind of reinforced shield on your belly rather than 258 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: on your back or vice versa. So you don't know. 259 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:26,920 Speaker 1: But that's, like I said, that's the intelligent guesses that 260 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 1: you have may have to make about evolution and why 261 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:34,760 Speaker 1: certain things developed or weren't successful in the end. Excellent. 262 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:37,440 Speaker 1: So I'm not going to ask basically three questions at 263 00:14:37,440 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 1: the same time, but they're very they're very simple and sudden. 264 00:14:39,480 --> 00:14:42,680 Speaker 1: They all kind of float together. So, um, how many 265 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:46,240 Speaker 1: of the seven extant sea turtle species, have you observed 266 00:14:46,280 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 1: in the wild, which ones do you work with the 267 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:51,000 Speaker 1: most and do you have a favorite. So from the 268 00:14:51,040 --> 00:14:55,760 Speaker 1: seven I have seen in the wild six and missing 269 00:14:55,840 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: the flatback turtle. So we have two species which are 270 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:05,280 Speaker 1: considered endemic, which means they're only found in a very specific, 271 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: very limited geo geographic range, which is first of all, 272 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:11,880 Speaker 1: the chemp stradily turtle, which can be mainly found or 273 00:15:11,920 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: solely found in the Gulf of Mexico. And then there's 274 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: the flat back turtle, which is pretty much found in 275 00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:24,400 Speaker 1: the waters around northern Australia or between Papa Papua New 276 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:27,080 Speaker 1: Guinea and and in Australia they but they nest mainly 277 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 1: on the north shore of Australia, so I haven't seen 278 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:32,320 Speaker 1: that one yet. That is really um my last one 279 00:15:32,360 --> 00:15:37,200 Speaker 1: that I'm missing. I do work mainly with the species 280 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 1: that we have in Costrica where I'm based. So the 281 00:15:41,480 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 1: species I started with is the leather back turtle, but 282 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,760 Speaker 1: we're also getting you know, a lower number of green 283 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 1: turtles nesting in the Caribbean as well as on the 284 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:54,920 Speaker 1: leather back beaches. I've worked on in the Pacific and 285 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:58,440 Speaker 1: then for my PhD, I really extensively studied olive red lace, 286 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:02,080 Speaker 1: which is one of the smallest ecs. And then right now, 287 00:16:02,400 --> 00:16:06,920 Speaker 1: since last year, I just initiated a larger hospital project, 288 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:08,880 Speaker 1: which is also the same beach where the leather bags 289 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:11,320 Speaker 1: are nesting. So always got some but now we're really 290 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:15,240 Speaker 1: focusing on, you know, monitoring the hospital population which is 291 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:19,120 Speaker 1: not nesting exactly at the same time than the leather backs. 292 00:16:19,200 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 1: And well, my favorite one, heads down leather bags. I mean, 293 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: I hate to say it, and everybody that disagrees with me, 294 00:16:26,960 --> 00:16:33,000 Speaker 1: they're just wrong. Um, just because leather bags are just incredible. 295 00:16:33,040 --> 00:16:38,680 Speaker 1: I mean they really they they just constitute so many 296 00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:41,640 Speaker 1: or like they have so many superlatives about them. I mean, 297 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:44,880 Speaker 1: they are the species that are distributed the widest. So 298 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:47,600 Speaker 1: we're still talking about an active them animal, right, an 299 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 1: animal that is in fear, not able to regulate their 300 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:54,440 Speaker 1: body temperature. But you will find or you can't find 301 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: leather blacks in waters that are substantially colder than what's 302 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:01,200 Speaker 1: the perfect temple there would be for them. Right, So, 303 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:04,480 Speaker 1: our populations in Costa Rica, depending which side of the 304 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:07,200 Speaker 1: coast on they feed, either in front of Nova Scotia, 305 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 1: in Canada, Wales, England, also in the North Sea, so 306 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 1: recently there was actually stranding in Denmark um and then 307 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:18,320 Speaker 1: the ones that have nesting on the Pacific side, they 308 00:17:18,359 --> 00:17:20,840 Speaker 1: are usually going down to Peru, which are also pretty 309 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:24,119 Speaker 1: cold waters. And how they can do it is, you know, 310 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: they have really found a way of first of all, 311 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 1: maintaining their body temperature, the core temperature steady. So they 312 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:34,000 Speaker 1: have this like incredible fatty layers. It's almost like a 313 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 1: winter coat that keeps them warm and insulated. But then 314 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:39,639 Speaker 1: of course they don't have it on their flippers, but 315 00:17:39,680 --> 00:17:42,000 Speaker 1: they do have it around the eas aphagus, so that's 316 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:44,639 Speaker 1: really cool, right. So that means even when they like 317 00:17:44,720 --> 00:17:48,600 Speaker 1: swallow their prey, which might be colder than their core temperature, 318 00:17:49,119 --> 00:17:54,840 Speaker 1: it prevents their core body temperature from dropping. And then 319 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:57,879 Speaker 1: it is you know, first of course it's a large animal, 320 00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:00,800 Speaker 1: so they have a better surface to volume ratio. It's 321 00:18:00,800 --> 00:18:03,400 Speaker 1: it's it's a term, it's called the gun to thermi um. 322 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:05,520 Speaker 1: You know that it's just like you don't lose as 323 00:18:05,600 --> 00:18:08,560 Speaker 1: much heat over your surface just because you're large. And 324 00:18:08,600 --> 00:18:11,440 Speaker 1: then also because your flippers of course are exposed, they're 325 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:13,679 Speaker 1: not having this fetty tissue. And in theory, you know 326 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: all that blood that circulates, the warm blood goes out, 327 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:19,119 Speaker 1: would cool down, go back, but no, they have this 328 00:18:19,240 --> 00:18:22,480 Speaker 1: countercurrent system where you know, the warm blood that comes 329 00:18:22,480 --> 00:18:25,359 Speaker 1: from the body is actually warming up the cold blood 330 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:28,800 Speaker 1: that comes back from the flipper without losing the heat 331 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 1: roster there pretty much just like pass it on to 332 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:34,840 Speaker 1: the blood that goes back into the body. And then 333 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:36,720 Speaker 1: the last thing that is actually a little bit more 334 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:40,200 Speaker 1: recent is that some scientists just discovered that leather bags 335 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:42,680 Speaker 1: are able to produce a certain amount of body heat 336 00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:47,200 Speaker 1: through digestion, So they made them swallow temperature pills, um, 337 00:18:47,240 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 1: you know, little devices that can literally measure the different 338 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:52,760 Speaker 1: temperature while they were going through the digestive truck and 339 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:56,280 Speaker 1: they're like, wow, okay, you're digesting and you're actually producing here. 340 00:18:56,359 --> 00:19:00,480 Speaker 1: That's pretty amazing. So you know the limits nations and 341 00:19:00,600 --> 00:19:03,440 Speaker 1: what we know about active therms, and it's pretty it's 342 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:06,919 Speaker 1: pretty incredible. I mean, other bags are just wow, mind blown. 343 00:19:07,840 --> 00:19:11,160 Speaker 1: Would that last fact mean that it's not actually such 344 00:19:11,200 --> 00:19:14,280 Speaker 1: a strict dividing line between warm blooded animals and cold 345 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:17,560 Speaker 1: blooded animals, but more question of degree. This is this 346 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:20,080 Speaker 1: is a good question. Some people have argued that leather 347 00:19:20,119 --> 00:19:23,639 Speaker 1: bags might be not as you know, strictly active therm 348 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:27,480 Speaker 1: as we would have categorized them. But then, of course 349 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:29,560 Speaker 1: where do you draw the line? Right? Scientists like to 350 00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:31,960 Speaker 1: have drawers where you can like stuff things into and 351 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,040 Speaker 1: it's just like, okay, you have this, but not that. 352 00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:37,200 Speaker 1: And I think sometimes, you know, especially when you think 353 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:40,160 Speaker 1: about how evolution happens, it's just not that clean cut. 354 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 1: So in talking about the leather back you were mentioning 355 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 1: that it has a self warming throat. When you look 356 00:19:47,760 --> 00:19:50,280 Speaker 1: inside their mouth, it does really look like a horror show. 357 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:53,239 Speaker 1: They have these, uh, these spikes. So what's going on 358 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:55,280 Speaker 1: with all that? What does what does that tell us 359 00:19:55,320 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: about the lifestyle of the leather act sea turtle? Well, 360 00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 1: I mean you just have to think about it. Right, 361 00:20:00,680 --> 00:20:04,360 Speaker 1: you are a leather back turtle, You're swimming underwater and 362 00:20:04,520 --> 00:20:10,639 Speaker 1: you are trying to eat this very glibbery thing, what 363 00:20:10,880 --> 00:20:13,680 Speaker 1: is a jellyfish. But you also don't want to swallow 364 00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:15,679 Speaker 1: the sea water, right, So it's not like you're wanting 365 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,440 Speaker 1: to eat seawater all the time, you know. So you're 366 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:21,600 Speaker 1: taking a bite and you swallow the jellyfish. You swallow 367 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:24,200 Speaker 1: the sea water. But before you or maybe we shouldn't 368 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:26,280 Speaker 1: say swallow, so you kind of take it into your mouth, 369 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:28,720 Speaker 1: but before you actually swallow it, you want to get 370 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:31,119 Speaker 1: rid of the sea water, and so that means you 371 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:33,440 Speaker 1: also do not want to get rid of the jellyfish though, 372 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 1: But it's so you know, sliming glibbery that there's a 373 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:38,480 Speaker 1: good chance it would go out if it wouldn't be 374 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:41,720 Speaker 1: for those spines that are covering the entire mouth down 375 00:20:41,760 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 1: all the way down to the aesephagus. Actually, other sea 376 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:46,600 Speaker 1: turtle species have those spines as well, they're just not 377 00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:49,640 Speaker 1: so like in the mouth cavity already, so it's usually 378 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:53,320 Speaker 1: just like the aesephagus that is having those um But yeah, 379 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 1: and in the ladder back it's right behind the mandibles, 380 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:57,760 Speaker 1: it's where it starts. So it looks at one of 381 00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:00,840 Speaker 1: those alien mouth that you know, with that that are 382 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:04,880 Speaker 1: pretty typical, I feel in science fiction movies. But it's 383 00:21:04,880 --> 00:21:09,040 Speaker 1: really about and they're all pointing towards the stomach, and 384 00:21:09,080 --> 00:21:11,000 Speaker 1: that means it's really kind of meant to, you know, 385 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 1: for the jellyfish to get stuck in it and they 386 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:16,639 Speaker 1: are able to extract the water. Usually through their nostrils, 387 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:19,240 Speaker 1: so there's a connection between the mouth cavity and the 388 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,000 Speaker 1: nose um, so they don't even have to open the 389 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 1: mouth and then they just collect the jellyfish and then 390 00:21:24,480 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 1: they just swallow it without all the sea water. That's amazing. 391 00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:31,680 Speaker 1: So what does it mean to specialize in eating jellyfish? 392 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 1: Like what kind of niche is that? Is that the 393 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:37,080 Speaker 1: kind of niche where you're getting more prey and it's 394 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 1: easier to get or is it the other way around? 395 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:42,399 Speaker 1: What does that mean to you? Well, I mean, we 396 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:45,760 Speaker 1: don't know of how it started right to just see 397 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: what it is right now. But the thing is sort 398 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,840 Speaker 1: of leather backs feed in areas where there's a high 399 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:55,879 Speaker 1: density of of of jellyfish. So that means the energy 400 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:58,320 Speaker 1: that it takes for them to get to those jellyfish 401 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: is not as large We're not is big, and they're 402 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:04,439 Speaker 1: obviously able to still fatten up enough to produce their eggs, 403 00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 1: will have enough energy to you know, do their large migrations. 404 00:22:08,680 --> 00:22:11,040 Speaker 1: And it's really funny if you ever get a chance 405 00:22:11,119 --> 00:22:13,560 Speaker 1: to to watch some of those videos that were filmed 406 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,040 Speaker 1: in Nova Score in front of Nova Kotia, it is 407 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:17,720 Speaker 1: really you know, the leather bag, just swimming through the 408 00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:22,919 Speaker 1: water and just like eating one eating another one do 409 00:22:23,119 --> 00:22:26,880 Speaker 1: like these you know, large groups of jellyfish. Um, it's 410 00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:29,000 Speaker 1: just they have to eat a lot. So it's pretty 411 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:32,720 Speaker 1: much you know, tons probably um son so many parts 412 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,640 Speaker 1: of their of their body weights in order to to 413 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:39,399 Speaker 1: to sustain themselves and even you know, have more to 414 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:41,359 Speaker 1: do all of those things that they need to do 415 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,840 Speaker 1: to reproduce. But that is probably one of the reasons 416 00:22:44,920 --> 00:22:48,679 Speaker 1: they're not nesting every year. So females skip usually one 417 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,160 Speaker 1: or two seasons in between so they have enough time 418 00:22:51,160 --> 00:22:54,320 Speaker 1: to fatten up, use all the follicles, and then make 419 00:22:54,359 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 1: the migration back to to their nesting beaches. That that 420 00:22:57,720 --> 00:22:59,840 Speaker 1: eating behavior kind of reminds me if you ever saw 421 00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:02,320 Speaker 1: the episode of The Simpsons where Homer goes to space 422 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: and the ends up eating the potato chips floating in 423 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:10,359 Speaker 1: zero G. Yes, that is a very accurate Actually, maybe 424 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:21,080 Speaker 1: not as crunchy, but definitely um yeah, thank so. I 425 00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:22,679 Speaker 1: guess backing up a little bit to just sort of 426 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:26,439 Speaker 1: generally about sea turtles, what do you think are the 427 00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:30,840 Speaker 1: biggest public misconceptions about sea turtles. I don't know if 428 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:34,040 Speaker 1: there's as many misconceptions about sea turtles. This for example, 429 00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:38,400 Speaker 1: about dolphins, um or sharks. I think people like sea 430 00:23:38,440 --> 00:23:41,920 Speaker 1: turtles because they're cute. What I always find very interesting 431 00:23:42,080 --> 00:23:45,760 Speaker 1: is that people really don't like reptiles in general. So 432 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:49,879 Speaker 1: you know, snakes and crocodiles people usually associate with evil. 433 00:23:50,200 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 1: They have an evil look. And I always have to 434 00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 1: laugh because seatotles are also reptiles. It's just that they 435 00:23:56,720 --> 00:23:58,760 Speaker 1: seem to be a little bit cuter or considered a 436 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:03,320 Speaker 1: little bit cuter than and other animals. Um. I think 437 00:24:03,359 --> 00:24:06,399 Speaker 1: a lot of people don't know much about, you know, 438 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:09,440 Speaker 1: the ecology of sea turtles, for example, that sea turtles 439 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:12,400 Speaker 1: have to breathe air, so they're you know, having lungs 440 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 1: just like us. UM, that they're really highly migratory, so 441 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:19,320 Speaker 1: it's not like they're, you know, just hanging out in 442 00:24:19,359 --> 00:24:21,600 Speaker 1: front of the beach and then they're coming back. I 443 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:25,680 Speaker 1: think there's just a lot of information that is not 444 00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,320 Speaker 1: known to the general public. I think that's other than 445 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:32,159 Speaker 1: misconceptions that I can think of, like out of the 446 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:35,320 Speaker 1: top of my head, I was in preparation for you 447 00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 1: coming on the show. Here, I was listening to Kara 448 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:41,359 Speaker 1: Museums interview with you on So You Want to Be 449 00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,720 Speaker 1: a Marine Biologist podcast, which is at Marine Bio Dot Life, 450 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:49,480 Speaker 1: and I was fascinated by your descriptions of the are 451 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:51,680 Speaker 1: a batta, So I was wondering, could you tell our 452 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:54,679 Speaker 1: listeners what the arabata is and what it's like to 453 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:58,760 Speaker 1: witness it and study it. Yeah. So, um, from all 454 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:02,080 Speaker 1: the sea turtle species, is only two species that engage 455 00:25:02,119 --> 00:25:05,399 Speaker 1: in that what we call the aribada behavior. Arii bada 456 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:09,760 Speaker 1: is from the Spanish word for arrival, and it is 457 00:25:09,880 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 1: pretty much describing a synchronized mass nesting. So the olive 458 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:17,960 Speaker 1: redley and the camps really the two smallest species are 459 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:21,880 Speaker 1: the ones that do nest in those synchronized mass nestings, 460 00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 1: which usually happened in the case of olive relea is 461 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:28,480 Speaker 1: at least about once a month, and then depending if 462 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:31,639 Speaker 1: which season it is, you have like larger atibadas or 463 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:35,440 Speaker 1: smaller atibadas. But the really large adibadas can have up 464 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:39,680 Speaker 1: to half a million females, so you just have to envision. 465 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:42,199 Speaker 1: I of course, it's not like it's all happening in 466 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 1: one night, so it's usually over the course of or 467 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:49,240 Speaker 1: to seven days, but it's usually even if in Austria. 468 00:25:49,320 --> 00:25:52,120 Speaker 1: Now in lost Kastrica, which is our largest adivada beach, 469 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:55,280 Speaker 1: it's about a six kilometer beach, but the synchronized mass 470 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:58,880 Speaker 1: nesting only happens of about less than a kilometer, right, 471 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:02,720 Speaker 1: So you have to envision once the adivada starts. It 472 00:26:02,800 --> 00:26:05,480 Speaker 1: is that if somebody blows a whistle and all of 473 00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:08,639 Speaker 1: a sudden, you have all these females that had already 474 00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:11,480 Speaker 1: been gathering right in front of the shore. They are 475 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 1: all coming up together and start their nesting program. Right, 476 00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:17,960 Speaker 1: it's like a little computer chip. It all kind of 477 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:20,879 Speaker 1: looks the same. So they come up, they start digging, 478 00:26:21,320 --> 00:26:23,719 Speaker 1: they start laying their eggs and start camouflage, and they 479 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:25,960 Speaker 1: do the little really dense and then if and it's 480 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:31,119 Speaker 1: just they crawl over each other. It smells horrendous because 481 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:34,240 Speaker 1: they dig up old nests that have been decaying, so 482 00:26:34,640 --> 00:26:38,320 Speaker 1: it's really really disgusting. They throw sand in your face 483 00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:40,359 Speaker 1: when you're trying to do something. If you forget your 484 00:26:40,440 --> 00:26:42,960 Speaker 1: backpack somewhere, there's a good chance and one of the 485 00:26:43,040 --> 00:26:45,199 Speaker 1: females just gets stucked with her flipper and just like 486 00:26:45,320 --> 00:26:48,480 Speaker 1: drags it down into the water. It's just insanity for 487 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:53,199 Speaker 1: like four or seven nights and then it's gone, and 488 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:55,320 Speaker 1: you wouldn't even know that this just happened if it 489 00:26:55,359 --> 00:26:58,360 Speaker 1: wouldn't be for you know, usually the vultures and dogs 490 00:26:58,400 --> 00:27:00,480 Speaker 1: that are digging up nests and you see all these 491 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:03,920 Speaker 1: you know, little white have pieces which are all egg 492 00:27:03,920 --> 00:27:06,040 Speaker 1: pieces on the beach and it's still smells a little 493 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:09,480 Speaker 1: bit funny, but that is what a adi bada is. 494 00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:12,440 Speaker 1: It's it's absolutely impressive. I would say, if you ever 495 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:16,760 Speaker 1: get a chance to see one, definitely do it. Now 496 00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:19,639 Speaker 1: that the rotten eggs are the decayed eggs that are 497 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:23,159 Speaker 1: being dug up. Now, are those the percentage of eggs 498 00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:27,160 Speaker 1: that are just always lost generally, because I understand there's 499 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:28,840 Speaker 1: I've seen it broken down to where like there's a 500 00:27:28,840 --> 00:27:31,000 Speaker 1: certain percentage of eggs they just never hatch and remain 501 00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:33,240 Speaker 1: in the ground. And then you get into the survival 502 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:36,359 Speaker 1: rates for each stage of the sea turtle. Yeah, okay, 503 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:39,080 Speaker 1: so there's with the adivada, it's it's a little bit 504 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:42,680 Speaker 1: more complicated, let's say that way, because you have so 505 00:27:42,920 --> 00:27:46,560 Speaker 1: since it's happening every month and the nest usually needs 506 00:27:46,800 --> 00:27:50,760 Speaker 1: about forty five to fifty five days to incubate, so 507 00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:53,200 Speaker 1: that means if you are one of the very first 508 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:56,040 Speaker 1: females that are coming up in Ariivada number one, and 509 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 1: let's say then this nest that is laid at that 510 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:02,600 Speaker 1: day has to actually survive to adivadas, right, it has 511 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:05,000 Speaker 1: to survive all the females that are coming after her, 512 00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:07,840 Speaker 1: and then in thirty days it has to survive the 513 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:10,840 Speaker 1: next adibada up until it has incubated enough to hatch. 514 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 1: So those nests are not super likely to survive in 515 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:19,719 Speaker 1: certain times of the year, especially also because there is 516 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:22,680 Speaker 1: you know, there's a super high density of nests. So 517 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:26,480 Speaker 1: m it means it's it's um yeah, like one square 518 00:28:26,520 --> 00:28:30,480 Speaker 1: meters has a ton of nest really way too many. 519 00:28:30,560 --> 00:28:33,440 Speaker 1: And so that means there is a lot of microbiota 520 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:35,480 Speaker 1: on the beach, kind of like I always think of 521 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,719 Speaker 1: a compost, because the sand, even on Audi Bada beaches 522 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:42,560 Speaker 1: is not really stand it's more like soil um And 523 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:46,640 Speaker 1: so you know, the the bacteria of course are affecting 524 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:49,760 Speaker 1: first of all the supply of oxygen that the eggs 525 00:28:49,800 --> 00:28:53,320 Speaker 1: are having, and of course they also you know, infecting 526 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:55,760 Speaker 1: the eggs and just like you know, doing damage in 527 00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 1: other ways. And then the other thing is of course 528 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:02,200 Speaker 1: that the heat. So unfortunately and a lot of the 529 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:05,479 Speaker 1: ali Bada beaches there are in areas where we already 530 00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:08,840 Speaker 1: have a lot of problem with high temperatures because of 531 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:14,080 Speaker 1: climate change, and so the rising temperatures are pretty much lethal. UM. 532 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 1: So that means the incubation temperatures way too high for 533 00:29:16,720 --> 00:29:20,800 Speaker 1: any egg to survive. So in Austria now um during 534 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:25,960 Speaker 1: dry season, these incub like just the hatching success of 535 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:28,600 Speaker 1: the nest that have survived till the end, it's only 536 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 1: about fiftent I think, which is very very low, one five, 537 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:34,200 Speaker 1: so it's it's not very good. And then of course 538 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:38,360 Speaker 1: it's very difficult to quantify of how many eggs or 539 00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: nests from the initially late ones are actually even making 540 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 1: it to that point. And I mean there's this one 541 00:29:45,760 --> 00:29:48,040 Speaker 1: thing that is also contributing to it. In Austinal at 542 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:51,400 Speaker 1: least there is um I think the world only legal 543 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 1: egg harvests, so the village is allowed in the first 544 00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:58,720 Speaker 1: seventy two hours of each adibada to harvest as many 545 00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:02,520 Speaker 1: nests pretty much as they able to UM. They're justifying 546 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:04,840 Speaker 1: it with the fact that hey, those nests would have 547 00:30:04,880 --> 00:30:08,160 Speaker 1: the lowest chance of survival anyways, So we're just kind 548 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:12,160 Speaker 1: of taking them and selling them to the market where 549 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 1: people still want to buy secret likes. It is a 550 00:30:14,840 --> 00:30:16,720 Speaker 1: little bit controversial. I don't know if you want to 551 00:30:16,720 --> 00:30:19,239 Speaker 1: go into that, but that is happening as well. So 552 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:22,520 Speaker 1: that means it of course if you would collect data 553 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:26,640 Speaker 1: on it, it doesn't it It is totally um, yeah, 554 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:29,560 Speaker 1: it's going because you don't know, you know what would 555 00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:31,800 Speaker 1: be if they would lead those nests in the sand 556 00:30:32,440 --> 00:30:35,960 Speaker 1: now in Costa Rica aside from the dogs that you mentioned, 557 00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:41,000 Speaker 1: what what other mammals are getting in on the feast here? Yeah, 558 00:30:41,040 --> 00:30:43,680 Speaker 1: so in Austria now thinks it's pretty developed. It's really 559 00:30:43,880 --> 00:30:49,080 Speaker 1: the dogs, the vultures, mammals, raccoons, quati which are the 560 00:30:49,160 --> 00:30:53,160 Speaker 1: raccoon family more than anything. But we do have also 561 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:56,600 Speaker 1: an Aribada nesting beach which is in a national park 562 00:30:56,640 --> 00:31:00,080 Speaker 1: in Santa Rosta and they actually have jag wires on 563 00:31:00,240 --> 00:31:04,440 Speaker 1: man and the at vada there is just because also, 564 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:06,880 Speaker 1: I mean, just because you have the synchronized mass nesting, 565 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:10,160 Speaker 1: that doesn't mean all of you olive. Really turtles are 566 00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:13,800 Speaker 1: also engaging in that nesting behavior. There's some plasticity and 567 00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:17,680 Speaker 1: some females nest solitarily, just like any other turtle species 568 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:21,120 Speaker 1: as well. So I mean most beaches have olive really 569 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:23,760 Speaker 1: nesting year round, and almost every single night you have 570 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: like one or two turtles, and so that olive really 571 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:30,680 Speaker 1: population is sustaining a pretty large jaguar a population in 572 00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:34,120 Speaker 1: in in nun sat In Santa Lsa National Park, because 573 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:36,920 Speaker 1: you know, they can just patrol just like we do, 574 00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:39,760 Speaker 1: the waterline up and down, and when the rest turtle 575 00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:42,800 Speaker 1: coming out, they're not super fast on land, and the 576 00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:46,000 Speaker 1: jaguar just grass them, drags them up to the vegetation 577 00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:47,960 Speaker 1: and then as you know, it depends if they have 578 00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:50,280 Speaker 1: babies or not, but it takes about two to three days, 579 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:53,040 Speaker 1: so that turtles gone and then they start hunting again. 580 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:56,280 Speaker 1: M So all kinds of questions are running through my 581 00:31:56,320 --> 00:31:58,960 Speaker 1: mind about this. So first of all, I apologize if 582 00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:02,200 Speaker 1: you alluded to answers to either of these already. One is, 583 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:05,800 Speaker 1: do we have any idea what the queue is that 584 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:08,680 Speaker 1: triggers all of the turtles to come up onto the beach, 585 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 1: because you said they gather offshore and then at some 586 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,320 Speaker 1: point they all just start coming in waves. Do you 587 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:16,680 Speaker 1: do we know why that happens or what causes it. 588 00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:20,720 Speaker 1: So I mean the why there is some hypotheses. One 589 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:23,760 Speaker 1: of them is a predator prevention strategy, so that you 590 00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:26,800 Speaker 1: pretty much just as when you're nesting, you're trying to 591 00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:30,480 Speaker 1: overwhelm any potential predator. Uh. And then when the babies 592 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:33,520 Speaker 1: are hatching, since they're all hatching at the exact same time, right, 593 00:32:33,560 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: so you have to think about half a million nests 594 00:32:35,960 --> 00:32:38,360 Speaker 1: or even if it's just a few hundred thousand nests 595 00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:41,320 Speaker 1: hatching at the same time, that means there's millions of 596 00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:44,520 Speaker 1: millions of babies that just you know, scramble to make 597 00:32:44,520 --> 00:32:47,000 Speaker 1: their way to to the ocean. So again, you know, 598 00:32:47,040 --> 00:32:49,080 Speaker 1: if your predator, you can eat one or two or 599 00:32:49,120 --> 00:32:51,720 Speaker 1: three or even more, but it's not going to be 600 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:53,960 Speaker 1: all of them. So it's it's a pretty pretty good 601 00:32:54,120 --> 00:33:00,440 Speaker 1: predator prevention strategy. So that's the why. Possibly the how 602 00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:03,440 Speaker 1: that is actually a question that we have answered it 603 00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:07,160 Speaker 1: to a certain degree. Um, so we know that it 604 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:09,080 Speaker 1: has something to do with the lunar cycle, so that 605 00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:12,360 Speaker 1: is pretty much solid. We know that for decades already, 606 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:16,000 Speaker 1: and it depends a little bit on the synchronized mass 607 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:19,640 Speaker 1: nesting beaches. So we have the Yeah, the majority of 608 00:33:19,680 --> 00:33:22,160 Speaker 1: the beaches actually in Central America, So Mexico has a 609 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:24,680 Speaker 1: really large one, Costa Rica has a large one, and 610 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:28,880 Speaker 1: they're like smaller ones in in in Panama and in 611 00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:32,880 Speaker 1: in Nicarago as well, And it depends a little bit 612 00:33:32,960 --> 00:33:37,120 Speaker 1: of which beach we're talking about. What the lunar cycle is. 613 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:40,720 Speaker 1: For Ostinale, it is usually the week before new moon. 614 00:33:41,400 --> 00:33:43,840 Speaker 1: So that means that is a pretty good indicator that 615 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:47,960 Speaker 1: I would say probably of the time is giving you 616 00:33:48,000 --> 00:33:50,360 Speaker 1: a good idea of when the stutifada is going to happen. 617 00:33:50,360 --> 00:33:53,480 Speaker 1: Whereas in Escobia, I think it also happens sometimes like 618 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:57,640 Speaker 1: a week before full moon. So um, yeah, I mean 619 00:33:57,680 --> 00:34:00,320 Speaker 1: exceptions always exist in Oustinal as well, but usually the 620 00:34:00,320 --> 00:34:03,880 Speaker 1: indicator is new moon. And then what we don't know though, 621 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:05,920 Speaker 1: is so you can see already, you know, let's say 622 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:08,160 Speaker 1: it's like about a week before new moon, and you 623 00:34:08,239 --> 00:34:12,840 Speaker 1: see already in the wives, you know, thousands of turtles 624 00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:16,160 Speaker 1: just swimming, the heads are bobbing up, and you just think, okay, okay, 625 00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:19,400 Speaker 1: it's going to be happening every every moment now. But 626 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:22,160 Speaker 1: we don't know is what is the actual whistle that 627 00:34:22,200 --> 00:34:24,400 Speaker 1: I've talked about, you know, what is it really that 628 00:34:24,440 --> 00:34:27,960 Speaker 1: says it is now and not tomorrow and not yesterday, 629 00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:32,200 Speaker 1: but exactly now, and that we don't know. So they 630 00:34:32,280 --> 00:34:36,200 Speaker 1: have been you know, kind of hypathities such as maybe, um, 631 00:34:36,239 --> 00:34:39,319 Speaker 1: the females are having some type of pheromone that they're 632 00:34:39,320 --> 00:34:42,640 Speaker 1: releasing and if it reaches a certain concentration that might 633 00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:46,399 Speaker 1: be triggering it. But we don't really know. We really 634 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,520 Speaker 1: don't know. The other thing I was wondering was, um, 635 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:53,719 Speaker 1: do we have any indication whether the incredible density of 636 00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:57,560 Speaker 1: the nesting is Is that totally natural or when I 637 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:00,040 Speaker 1: see something like that, I would kind of wonder, is 638 00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:02,480 Speaker 1: that's something that could be caused by I don't know, 639 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:06,040 Speaker 1: changes that are going on, like anything that humans do 640 00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:09,600 Speaker 1: would drive that sort of incredible density. Do do we 641 00:35:09,640 --> 00:35:12,480 Speaker 1: know anything about that? Yeah, well, it's not that we 642 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:17,200 Speaker 1: have like solid data, so I would say probably not 643 00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:20,759 Speaker 1: human cost. What I would say, though, is that we 644 00:35:21,719 --> 00:35:24,920 Speaker 1: are really curious a scientist to study the evolution and 645 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:29,200 Speaker 1: the progression of Aribada nesting beaches because Austin now actually 646 00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:33,120 Speaker 1: has a village for more than a hundred and thirty years, 647 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:37,040 Speaker 1: so that means there's really good historical data of you know, 648 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:40,880 Speaker 1: when they started to have an actual synchronized mass nesting, 649 00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:43,440 Speaker 1: because it's not that they always had one, you know, 650 00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:47,799 Speaker 1: so it started at some point um and it's still there. 651 00:35:48,680 --> 00:35:51,920 Speaker 1: But and that's more or less. My personal hypothesis is 652 00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:55,480 Speaker 1: that I really think adri Bada beach choose a kind 653 00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:58,399 Speaker 1: of getting going extinct at one point if you would 654 00:35:58,480 --> 00:36:00,719 Speaker 1: let them take the natural core is because it is 655 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,960 Speaker 1: a solid it's a series over use of the beach, right, 656 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:06,839 Speaker 1: you have so much nest and you can see from 657 00:36:06,880 --> 00:36:10,600 Speaker 1: the studies at austeonalis well like the hatching success just 658 00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:14,279 Speaker 1: over twenty thirty years, just like it's consistently decreasing. And 659 00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:17,440 Speaker 1: if you would just let the beach do what it 660 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:19,440 Speaker 1: would usually do, or like the turtles to what they 661 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:22,759 Speaker 1: usually do, the hatching success right, which is probably be 662 00:36:22,920 --> 00:36:26,240 Speaker 1: zero at one point, so there would be no next generation. 663 00:36:26,719 --> 00:36:29,319 Speaker 1: But I mean, I have the suspicion it's really hard 664 00:36:29,360 --> 00:36:32,839 Speaker 1: to prove that the you know, the egg harvest is 665 00:36:32,960 --> 00:36:37,759 Speaker 1: probably are it officially keeping that beach alive, you know, 666 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:40,839 Speaker 1: because it is raising the hatching success to at least 667 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:43,200 Speaker 1: the level there is still babies, but it's very low 668 00:36:43,360 --> 00:36:46,560 Speaker 1: so that actually might be detrimental to the population later 669 00:36:46,600 --> 00:36:49,040 Speaker 1: on because maybe they would have already looked for another 670 00:36:49,080 --> 00:36:52,399 Speaker 1: beach right at this point. What makes me think that 671 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:55,440 Speaker 1: is is that we have two new beaches now that 672 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:59,200 Speaker 1: weren't Atibada beaches before that. Now, in the past i 673 00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:02,480 Speaker 1: would say six seven years, have started to have synchronized 674 00:37:02,480 --> 00:37:05,440 Speaker 1: mass nest things and they are getting more and more. 675 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:08,640 Speaker 1: In the beginning it was like one per year, and 676 00:37:08,680 --> 00:37:11,560 Speaker 1: then it was like three, and I think the last 677 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:14,279 Speaker 1: one was like almost eight synchronized mass nestings and one 678 00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:16,320 Speaker 1: of them which is and it's getting bigger and bigger 679 00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:18,040 Speaker 1: as well. So I think that's you know, there's a 680 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:21,000 Speaker 1: natural life cycle to an auti bata, which which logically 681 00:37:21,040 --> 00:37:24,520 Speaker 1: it makes sense, right if you if you over use something, 682 00:37:24,560 --> 00:37:27,359 Speaker 1: then at one point there is nothing more left, like 683 00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:30,120 Speaker 1: when you over use the soil for plants or else, 684 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:32,680 Speaker 1: and so you have to look for something else. So yeah, 685 00:37:32,719 --> 00:37:34,719 Speaker 1: it will be really interesting to kind of study that, 686 00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:38,359 Speaker 1: you know, how new synchronized mass nesting beaches are developing, 687 00:37:38,719 --> 00:37:41,480 Speaker 1: how long they really stay like that and until the 688 00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:45,120 Speaker 1: turtles move on somewhere else, and also what triggers it, right, 689 00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:47,759 Speaker 1: because if it would be really some kind of mechanism 690 00:37:47,800 --> 00:37:50,239 Speaker 1: that is just going over the next generation. That would 691 00:37:50,239 --> 00:37:54,040 Speaker 1: be I mean Olive Ridley's reach sexual maturity with about 692 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,319 Speaker 1: fifteen to twenty five years. So that's a lot like 693 00:37:57,440 --> 00:37:59,919 Speaker 1: feedback cycle, you know too if you think about it's 694 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:04,000 Speaker 1: so maybe it's something else. So can you explain how 695 00:38:04,120 --> 00:38:06,360 Speaker 1: temperature plays a role in the development of sea turtle 696 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:09,160 Speaker 1: eggs and then and then how does climate change impact 697 00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:13,200 Speaker 1: this process? Yeah, so temperature in the life of sea 698 00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:15,839 Speaker 1: turtles is super important, as we already talked about it. 699 00:38:15,880 --> 00:38:17,640 Speaker 1: You know, they needed to warm up their body. But 700 00:38:17,920 --> 00:38:21,759 Speaker 1: the uther cool thing is that the sex of sea 701 00:38:21,800 --> 00:38:26,359 Speaker 1: turtles is determined by the incubation temperature. So that means 702 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:29,560 Speaker 1: they do not have sex chromosomes as we humans have 703 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:32,200 Speaker 1: for example, So you know usually it's x x and 704 00:38:32,280 --> 00:38:36,040 Speaker 1: you become female biologically, or it's x y and you're 705 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:40,400 Speaker 1: male biologically. And in sea turtles is actually the second 706 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:45,960 Speaker 1: third of the incubation time. That's where higher temperatures are 707 00:38:46,040 --> 00:38:48,960 Speaker 1: leading to more females gradually. Of course, it's not like 708 00:38:49,000 --> 00:38:51,520 Speaker 1: a switch and it's all females or males, and cooler 709 00:38:51,520 --> 00:38:55,080 Speaker 1: temperatures are leading to more males. So in English at 710 00:38:55,160 --> 00:38:57,799 Speaker 1: least they have this you know, hot chicks and cool dudes, 711 00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:01,439 Speaker 1: and if you want to remember how that is. Interestingly though, 712 00:39:01,480 --> 00:39:04,280 Speaker 1: it is not the same in all turtles, since turtles 713 00:39:04,520 --> 00:39:08,640 Speaker 1: it's exactly that, but there's other turtle species, freshwater turtles 714 00:39:08,680 --> 00:39:12,120 Speaker 1: and tortoises that actually sometimes have two peaks. So it's like, 715 00:39:12,160 --> 00:39:17,080 Speaker 1: you know, kind of middle temperature produces more males and 716 00:39:17,160 --> 00:39:20,640 Speaker 1: like really cool and really hot temperatuicuely to females. There's 717 00:39:20,719 --> 00:39:23,120 Speaker 1: all kinds of variation within that group of turtles, but 718 00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:26,720 Speaker 1: the anti turtles, it is that, and that of course 719 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:30,880 Speaker 1: means nowadays, where we are having rising temperatures because of 720 00:39:30,920 --> 00:39:36,040 Speaker 1: climate change, in a lot of places, we are overproducing females. 721 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:39,920 Speaker 1: So there's beaches where we have pretty much almost d 722 00:39:40,320 --> 00:39:43,040 Speaker 1: females that we're producing. So there's some status. It really 723 00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:45,600 Speaker 1: depends on which region you're looking at and what species. 724 00:39:46,120 --> 00:39:50,000 Speaker 1: But that is like you know, one male to nine females, 725 00:39:50,920 --> 00:39:54,560 Speaker 1: or even worse worst case scenarios than that, which might 726 00:39:54,640 --> 00:39:57,000 Speaker 1: not be a problem right now because like I said, 727 00:39:57,040 --> 00:39:59,680 Speaker 1: it takes a while till they reach sexual maturity, but 728 00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:03,400 Speaker 1: one they have reached sexual maturity and if population sizes 729 00:40:03,480 --> 00:40:06,840 Speaker 1: are already small, it might be just not enough males 730 00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:10,759 Speaker 1: around to fertilize the females and eggs. So that is 731 00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:15,120 Speaker 1: really concerning UM. And in that sense, and some of 732 00:40:15,160 --> 00:40:18,400 Speaker 1: the you know, conservation measures that we have, as for example, 733 00:40:18,400 --> 00:40:20,759 Speaker 1: that we're shading our nests in order to you know, 734 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:24,799 Speaker 1: artificially increase the amount of males that we're producing, just 735 00:40:24,920 --> 00:40:29,799 Speaker 1: to counteract a little bit those those impacts that climate change. UM. Yeah, 736 00:40:29,840 --> 00:40:32,160 Speaker 1: it's causing. UM. I had a question. I want to 737 00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:34,239 Speaker 1: come back to something you said earlier about the resiliency 738 00:40:34,320 --> 00:40:38,080 Speaker 1: of sea turtles and you mentioned mentioned like missing flippers 739 00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:41,879 Speaker 1: and injuries that that they have survived. I was thinking 740 00:40:41,880 --> 00:40:45,560 Speaker 1: about this recently because I got to snorkle in in 741 00:40:45,640 --> 00:40:48,640 Speaker 1: now among some green sea turtles and I got to 742 00:40:48,680 --> 00:40:51,440 Speaker 1: observe them there, and there was one in particular, and 743 00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:53,640 Speaker 1: you know it was I kept seeing it because it 744 00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:56,640 Speaker 1: had a number tag on its shell and it was 745 00:40:56,680 --> 00:41:00,279 Speaker 1: missing a front flipper. And every time I would see it, 746 00:41:00,320 --> 00:41:02,759 Speaker 1: I would I would marvel at it because I and 747 00:41:02,760 --> 00:41:05,480 Speaker 1: then I would ask questions in my head. How I 748 00:41:05,560 --> 00:41:08,400 Speaker 1: was wondering, like, this is a turtle that has that 749 00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:10,600 Speaker 1: has been injured and then has been re released or 750 00:41:10,680 --> 00:41:13,080 Speaker 1: is this just how resilient they are that it could 751 00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:17,480 Speaker 1: sustain an injury like this survive And you know, I 752 00:41:17,520 --> 00:41:20,000 Speaker 1: mean how does I guess? They just have questions about 753 00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:22,480 Speaker 1: just just how they managed that. It seems like I know, 754 00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:24,839 Speaker 1: if I lost a limb in the ocean, I would 755 00:41:24,880 --> 00:41:28,319 Speaker 1: just be dead. Uh, how does the sea turtle pull 756 00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:32,280 Speaker 1: it off? Yeah? So I think they have incredible healing powers. 757 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:35,200 Speaker 1: So just like what I've seen. For example, I remember 758 00:41:35,239 --> 00:41:39,280 Speaker 1: one particular leather bag that came with absolutely horrible cuts 759 00:41:39,320 --> 00:41:42,799 Speaker 1: from she must have gotten somehow entangled in fisher nets. 760 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:45,759 Speaker 1: Luckily she was freed, maybe by the fisherman themselves, but 761 00:41:45,800 --> 00:41:48,600 Speaker 1: it was just a nasty cut all across, like the 762 00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:51,640 Speaker 1: soft part of her shoulders. It was bleeding, it was 763 00:41:51,680 --> 00:41:55,040 Speaker 1: in facted. She was really smelling as well. It was 764 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:58,920 Speaker 1: pretty disgusting. And um, so sea turtles don't nest just 765 00:41:59,000 --> 00:42:01,680 Speaker 1: once proced us. They usually nest, you know, in the 766 00:42:01,680 --> 00:42:04,360 Speaker 1: case of leather bags on average about five to seven 767 00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:09,920 Speaker 1: times and have very distinct rensting intervals. So I know 768 00:42:10,280 --> 00:42:12,080 Speaker 1: in other bags it's about ten days. So that means 769 00:42:12,080 --> 00:42:15,280 Speaker 1: I knew already. Okay, you know, she will come back hopefully, 770 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:17,759 Speaker 1: and so you know the next time she came back, 771 00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:21,000 Speaker 1: I kind of had some antibiotic appointment that I was, 772 00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:23,000 Speaker 1: you know, trying and had like an antibotic pill that 773 00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:24,920 Speaker 1: I just broke open and tried to like clean it 774 00:42:24,960 --> 00:42:27,720 Speaker 1: a little bit. Um. But the interesting thing was really 775 00:42:27,800 --> 00:42:30,680 Speaker 1: within the ten days that she came back, the wound 776 00:42:30,719 --> 00:42:33,600 Speaker 1: already had pretty much clothes. I mean, it was just like, 777 00:42:34,120 --> 00:42:37,360 Speaker 1: you know, pretty deep, and you could see, you know, 778 00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:39,799 Speaker 1: it was like through the fat layer and you could 779 00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:42,759 Speaker 1: see things that I, I think you're not supposed to 780 00:42:42,760 --> 00:42:46,360 Speaker 1: be seeing. Um, Yeah, And it is just so impressive 781 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:48,879 Speaker 1: of how quickly in ten days, you know, the whole 782 00:42:48,880 --> 00:42:52,480 Speaker 1: thing had already pretty much closed. And yeah, she had 783 00:42:52,520 --> 00:42:55,799 Speaker 1: an ugly scar, but she's definitely able to to live 784 00:42:56,120 --> 00:42:59,120 Speaker 1: or in the other Like another example is that I 785 00:42:59,160 --> 00:43:01,799 Speaker 1: saw a female that came up onto the beach. So 786 00:43:01,880 --> 00:43:04,000 Speaker 1: I caught her in the process of just walking up 787 00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:07,000 Speaker 1: on the beach and she was dragging something behind her 788 00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:09,480 Speaker 1: and you know, it looked like fishing net, but I 789 00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:12,000 Speaker 1: wasn't sure, so I kind of went closer, switched on 790 00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:13,640 Speaker 1: my light and what I saw I was, Yes, it 791 00:43:13,760 --> 00:43:17,439 Speaker 1: was fishing net, but she also pretty much dragged her 792 00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:21,960 Speaker 1: dead leg that was literally just hanging on on like 793 00:43:22,080 --> 00:43:26,880 Speaker 1: one ligament, totally blown up, and oh, I mean the 794 00:43:26,920 --> 00:43:29,719 Speaker 1: whole net, like the whole fishing I had already cut 795 00:43:29,719 --> 00:43:32,880 Speaker 1: through the entire bone um, and she was pulling, you know, 796 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:35,200 Speaker 1: this dead leg on that ligament and there's like a 797 00:43:35,440 --> 00:43:39,200 Speaker 1: huge bulk of fishing line behind her and she was 798 00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:42,760 Speaker 1: still nesting. I mean, I mean, this is just mind blowing, 799 00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:44,600 Speaker 1: right if you think about it, It's just like, Okay, 800 00:43:44,920 --> 00:43:48,719 Speaker 1: she's probably in pain, she is in the process of 801 00:43:48,719 --> 00:43:52,920 Speaker 1: losing an entire flipper, but this urge to come onto 802 00:43:52,960 --> 00:43:56,600 Speaker 1: the beach to still reproduced is so big. And I'm 803 00:43:56,600 --> 00:43:59,319 Speaker 1: pretty sure that she survived, quite honestly, because I mean, 804 00:43:59,600 --> 00:44:02,319 Speaker 1: what Scott it. I had already closed, so I just 805 00:44:02,400 --> 00:44:04,799 Speaker 1: kind of the fishing gear um. And then you know, 806 00:44:05,239 --> 00:44:07,319 Speaker 1: I could tell that she kind of flinched when I 807 00:44:07,360 --> 00:44:09,719 Speaker 1: was trying to touch the one ligament. So what I 808 00:44:09,760 --> 00:44:11,400 Speaker 1: did is because I didn't have anything, you know, I 809 00:44:11,400 --> 00:44:13,239 Speaker 1: didn't want to cut through it, so I just took 810 00:44:13,280 --> 00:44:15,120 Speaker 1: like one little piece of fishing eye and just like 811 00:44:15,239 --> 00:44:17,120 Speaker 1: pretty much did a tourney catch, just like you know, 812 00:44:17,200 --> 00:44:20,200 Speaker 1: try to find it off from all but supplying Oubrey 813 00:44:20,200 --> 00:44:28,800 Speaker 1: would just fall off eventually. But yeah, it gets scory. 814 00:44:36,440 --> 00:44:37,879 Speaker 1: One of the things I saw when we were coming 815 00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:40,480 Speaker 1: in here. I know you've talked before about the the 816 00:44:40,520 --> 00:44:42,960 Speaker 1: incident with the straw and the turtles nose, but one 817 00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:46,080 Speaker 1: of the ones I saw was a a video you 818 00:44:46,120 --> 00:44:49,480 Speaker 1: had uploaded where you were trying to remove a fishing 819 00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:52,959 Speaker 1: net from a turtle's neck and that it had cut 820 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:54,600 Speaker 1: in all around the neck. I think was it a 821 00:44:54,680 --> 00:44:57,359 Speaker 1: leather back or um that was an olive red lame 822 00:44:58,840 --> 00:45:01,520 Speaker 1: as well. Yeah, it was exactly in front of us, 823 00:45:01,560 --> 00:45:04,160 Speaker 1: you now, so that one of those synchronized mass inesting beaches. 824 00:45:04,200 --> 00:45:06,719 Speaker 1: And yeah, that wasn't very typical. I mean, you know, 825 00:45:06,840 --> 00:45:09,400 Speaker 1: I don't always have the chance to film everything that 826 00:45:09,480 --> 00:45:11,440 Speaker 1: we see because you know, sometimes for me it's more 827 00:45:11,480 --> 00:45:14,680 Speaker 1: important to actually you know, release them and not thinking 828 00:45:14,719 --> 00:45:17,480 Speaker 1: about it. They can obously filment um. But yeah, that's 829 00:45:17,480 --> 00:45:20,239 Speaker 1: a very typical side unfortunately. I mean this one was 830 00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:22,839 Speaker 1: a little bit worse because it was around her neck. 831 00:45:23,040 --> 00:45:26,680 Speaker 1: A lot of times it's you know, it's the flippers, um. 832 00:45:26,760 --> 00:45:29,160 Speaker 1: But yeah, I mean usually what all you can do 833 00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:31,279 Speaker 1: is like you know, relief what she has and then 834 00:45:31,360 --> 00:45:33,760 Speaker 1: just hope that the wounds will pretty much heal themselves, 835 00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:38,200 Speaker 1: which usually they do um because it's even not that 836 00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:40,720 Speaker 1: easy to kill a turtle. So we had another case 837 00:45:40,840 --> 00:45:43,880 Speaker 1: where I was called in UM and there was a 838 00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:46,239 Speaker 1: turtle on the beach that had been what we don't 839 00:45:46,239 --> 00:45:48,560 Speaker 1: know what came first, but dogs were around her, had 840 00:45:48,560 --> 00:45:53,120 Speaker 1: pretty much attacked her, had eaten into her body cavity, 841 00:45:53,320 --> 00:45:54,960 Speaker 1: so from you know when you have the heads and 842 00:45:54,960 --> 00:45:57,720 Speaker 1: the shell, so like the soft pipe is the shoulder pipe, 843 00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:00,719 Speaker 1: and so the dogs had just taken out of it. 844 00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:04,280 Speaker 1: She was in a really bad shape, like way worse 845 00:46:04,360 --> 00:46:06,960 Speaker 1: than Yeah. I did not think, Okay, I can just 846 00:46:07,000 --> 00:46:08,799 Speaker 1: throw her in the water and she's going to be fine. 847 00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:12,319 Speaker 1: So I contacted the vets that is close by, But 848 00:46:12,400 --> 00:46:15,600 Speaker 1: of course the veterinarians are usually not specialized in reptiles, 849 00:46:15,680 --> 00:46:19,800 Speaker 1: so reptiles are very specific. Which even when we talked 850 00:46:19,800 --> 00:46:23,000 Speaker 1: about you know, like in the aftermath of turtle straw 851 00:46:23,080 --> 00:46:25,160 Speaker 1: videos like why didn't you take it to a vet? 852 00:46:25,280 --> 00:46:29,000 Speaker 1: Why didn't you like anesthesize the turtles? It is actually 853 00:46:29,080 --> 00:46:32,240 Speaker 1: not that easy and pretty dangerous to anesthesize the reptile 854 00:46:32,600 --> 00:46:35,600 Speaker 1: because the actual therm and like how the metabolism works. 855 00:46:36,160 --> 00:46:38,680 Speaker 1: More times than not, you might actually end up killing them. 856 00:46:38,840 --> 00:46:42,400 Speaker 1: So you know, um, you have to really find a 857 00:46:42,480 --> 00:46:46,200 Speaker 1: vet that knows how to dose everything to not kill them. 858 00:46:46,480 --> 00:46:48,719 Speaker 1: And most of the times they would also opt to 859 00:46:48,760 --> 00:46:50,759 Speaker 1: not do it and rather do whatever they need to 860 00:46:50,760 --> 00:46:55,040 Speaker 1: do um without yeah, tranquilizing or anesthesizing the animal, just 861 00:46:55,080 --> 00:46:58,360 Speaker 1: because it is so dangerous. And then of course, you know, 862 00:46:58,640 --> 00:47:02,040 Speaker 1: you go to the vets that is actualized for cats 863 00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:03,759 Speaker 1: and dogs and you're like kind of like, hey, I 864 00:47:03,800 --> 00:47:06,200 Speaker 1: have this tea turtle and he was like, yeah, that 865 00:47:06,400 --> 00:47:09,120 Speaker 1: is like, oh god, she needs to be euthanized. And 866 00:47:09,160 --> 00:47:12,000 Speaker 1: then it was really interesting because we had to look 867 00:47:12,080 --> 00:47:15,320 Speaker 1: up in the internet how to euthanize the turtle and 868 00:47:15,560 --> 00:47:19,360 Speaker 1: it is really I mean m First of all, it's 869 00:47:19,480 --> 00:47:21,880 Speaker 1: you can use a toxine that we didn't have at hand, 870 00:47:22,120 --> 00:47:25,320 Speaker 1: so we had to find pretty much like other ways 871 00:47:25,360 --> 00:47:28,640 Speaker 1: of how we could you know, humanely euthanize that turtle 872 00:47:29,160 --> 00:47:33,160 Speaker 1: because I had seen it already when poachers, um, you know, 873 00:47:33,239 --> 00:47:35,839 Speaker 1: try to to take the meat of turtles or the 874 00:47:35,880 --> 00:47:39,320 Speaker 1: eggs that are still in in inside of the overducts. 875 00:47:39,400 --> 00:47:41,720 Speaker 1: They a lot of times don't even bother killing the turtles. 876 00:47:41,719 --> 00:47:44,759 Speaker 1: So they hack off the flippers and then they kind 877 00:47:44,760 --> 00:47:48,399 Speaker 1: of cut out the plastron, you know, the belly pipe 878 00:47:48,440 --> 00:47:51,800 Speaker 1: and just opened the turtle. And that turtles fully conscious 879 00:47:51,800 --> 00:47:54,440 Speaker 1: in a life. And I have seen turtles that had 880 00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:57,120 Speaker 1: literally no organs left anymore besides the lung and the 881 00:47:57,120 --> 00:48:00,880 Speaker 1: heart because the meat was taken, the export taken, and 882 00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:03,880 Speaker 1: the hat was still beating. I mean, it's it's absolutely 883 00:48:03,920 --> 00:48:06,480 Speaker 1: it's it's it's really really sad and really impacting to 884 00:48:06,480 --> 00:48:09,319 Speaker 1: see that. So we had this turtle we needed to euthanize, 885 00:48:09,400 --> 00:48:11,759 Speaker 1: and I mean the only way of how. When I 886 00:48:11,800 --> 00:48:13,759 Speaker 1: was talking to two best we're like, well, you have 887 00:48:13,840 --> 00:48:16,799 Speaker 1: to drill a hole into her head and you make 888 00:48:16,840 --> 00:48:18,759 Speaker 1: sure that you really hit the brand as quickly as 889 00:48:18,760 --> 00:48:22,920 Speaker 1: possible so you know, she goes quickly and doesn't feel 890 00:48:22,960 --> 00:48:26,120 Speaker 1: anything anymore. So it was a little bit traumatizing for 891 00:48:26,160 --> 00:48:28,439 Speaker 1: all of us, I can tell you that. But yeah, 892 00:48:28,440 --> 00:48:32,040 Speaker 1: because we had to find, like, you know, a drill somewhere, 893 00:48:32,640 --> 00:48:35,360 Speaker 1: it was, Yeah, it was not a dosn't thing that 894 00:48:35,400 --> 00:48:37,560 Speaker 1: we we had to do them, but it shows you 895 00:48:37,560 --> 00:48:40,080 Speaker 1: a lot about resilience and also you know of how 896 00:48:40,880 --> 00:48:44,520 Speaker 1: they work and how they yeah not die, I guess 897 00:48:44,560 --> 00:48:47,600 Speaker 1: that quickly. So you're talking about the the idea of 898 00:48:48,080 --> 00:48:50,879 Speaker 1: the sea turtle being attacked by dogs, um or even 899 00:48:50,960 --> 00:48:54,560 Speaker 1: by humans. It makes me realize the question that apologies 900 00:48:54,600 --> 00:48:57,040 Speaker 1: if this is a very dumb question. So we have 901 00:48:57,120 --> 00:48:59,800 Speaker 1: experience with some terrestrial turtles like the box turtle that 902 00:48:59,840 --> 00:49:03,680 Speaker 1: can fully retract inside the shell. Is that not Is 903 00:49:03,680 --> 00:49:07,800 Speaker 1: there any kind of retraction defensive capability and sea turtles 904 00:49:07,880 --> 00:49:09,879 Speaker 1: or can they partially do that or not at all? 905 00:49:10,040 --> 00:49:12,480 Speaker 1: Or what? This is a really good question. I don't 906 00:49:12,480 --> 00:49:14,600 Speaker 1: think it's a dumb question at all, because it's one 907 00:49:14,640 --> 00:49:18,799 Speaker 1: of the most identifying features of sea turtles that they 908 00:49:18,800 --> 00:49:22,399 Speaker 1: can not retract the limbs into the shell. So they 909 00:49:22,400 --> 00:49:24,560 Speaker 1: can kind of pull their head in a little bit 910 00:49:24,840 --> 00:49:28,440 Speaker 1: like in the case of example, green turtles um, but 911 00:49:28,520 --> 00:49:31,239 Speaker 1: not really. So it's not you know, like this typical 912 00:49:31,280 --> 00:49:33,480 Speaker 1: image that you have where they just like disappear into 913 00:49:33,520 --> 00:49:36,600 Speaker 1: their shell. They can't. So the reason of why that 914 00:49:36,800 --> 00:49:40,160 Speaker 1: is is, first of all, they have their shell has 915 00:49:40,239 --> 00:49:43,680 Speaker 1: become very streamlined in in the course of evolution, so 916 00:49:43,719 --> 00:49:49,320 Speaker 1: they're like super hydrodynamic um which also decreases the space 917 00:49:49,680 --> 00:49:51,600 Speaker 1: inside of the shell. If you think about like these 918 00:49:51,680 --> 00:49:54,680 Speaker 1: high domed tortoises for example that we have on land. 919 00:49:55,360 --> 00:49:59,000 Speaker 1: And then the other thing is is that the main locomotive, 920 00:49:59,600 --> 00:50:03,359 Speaker 1: like the own main engine, are the front flippers, right, 921 00:50:03,400 --> 00:50:05,600 Speaker 1: so they have you know, they it's almost looks like 922 00:50:05,600 --> 00:50:08,239 Speaker 1: like an airplane. The why how they like kind of 923 00:50:08,280 --> 00:50:10,759 Speaker 1: go through the water or like flying like birds that 924 00:50:10,800 --> 00:50:13,480 Speaker 1: are kind of flapping, you know, their power strokes with 925 00:50:13,480 --> 00:50:17,799 Speaker 1: both flippers. But that means they're um that chest muscles 926 00:50:17,920 --> 00:50:21,799 Speaker 1: have grown so large that they have taken up a 927 00:50:21,880 --> 00:50:24,279 Speaker 1: lot more space than in other turtles. And that is 928 00:50:24,320 --> 00:50:27,040 Speaker 1: also one of the reasons that they can't retract it 929 00:50:27,120 --> 00:50:29,400 Speaker 1: into their shell anymore. And now in terms of just 930 00:50:29,440 --> 00:50:33,719 Speaker 1: sort of the general temperament of the sea turtle, um, 931 00:50:33,880 --> 00:50:36,040 Speaker 1: do you do you find that like different sea turtle 932 00:50:36,080 --> 00:50:39,400 Speaker 1: species or even individuals have different demeanors or some shire 933 00:50:39,480 --> 00:50:43,400 Speaker 1: around human divers or snorkelers for example. Yeah, I mean 934 00:50:43,440 --> 00:50:47,000 Speaker 1: there's definitely a difference between species. So olive redleys and 935 00:50:47,040 --> 00:50:50,479 Speaker 1: leather bags are seldom ly face, especially if we're talking 936 00:50:50,480 --> 00:50:54,640 Speaker 1: about mass nesting turtles. So if you have solitary nesting 937 00:50:54,640 --> 00:50:57,759 Speaker 1: turtles a little bit more skittish. Um. But the leather 938 00:50:57,760 --> 00:51:00,359 Speaker 1: bags and olive redleys are really kind of like, I 939 00:51:00,400 --> 00:51:03,640 Speaker 1: don't care so you can handle them while they're nesting. 940 00:51:03,800 --> 00:51:05,480 Speaker 1: So they're in this like you know, supposed to be 941 00:51:05,560 --> 00:51:08,439 Speaker 1: nesting trends that really kind of you know, they're only 942 00:51:08,480 --> 00:51:11,680 Speaker 1: concentrating of dropping their eggs and and and anything that 943 00:51:11,719 --> 00:51:14,880 Speaker 1: happens around them, they really don't seem to notice. But 944 00:51:15,040 --> 00:51:17,600 Speaker 1: in the case of hawk spills and greens, both of 945 00:51:17,640 --> 00:51:21,120 Speaker 1: those turtle species as super skittish, so it comes you know, 946 00:51:21,160 --> 00:51:23,760 Speaker 1: even when they come up, even when they're already dropping 947 00:51:23,760 --> 00:51:26,520 Speaker 1: the eggs, which you know supposedly there in the nesting trends. 948 00:51:26,960 --> 00:51:29,479 Speaker 1: The protocols that we have in place usually means, okay, 949 00:51:29,520 --> 00:51:32,600 Speaker 1: if you're not able to you know, really carefully collect 950 00:51:32,600 --> 00:51:34,759 Speaker 1: eggs or whatever, better, don't touch them. Let they do 951 00:51:34,800 --> 00:51:37,239 Speaker 1: their thing, and then we're going to collect the data 952 00:51:37,320 --> 00:51:40,560 Speaker 1: so you know, we don't disturb the actual egg laying process. 953 00:51:40,640 --> 00:51:44,440 Speaker 1: And then of course within individuals. UM, when we were 954 00:51:44,480 --> 00:51:48,759 Speaker 1: doing especially the olive redly sampling, I always felt that 955 00:51:49,000 --> 00:51:52,520 Speaker 1: smaller turtles were way more feisty than like the big 956 00:51:53,040 --> 00:51:56,040 Speaker 1: big ones. Um. Maybe it had something to do with 957 00:51:56,120 --> 00:51:58,840 Speaker 1: you know, being more edgile because you were smaller. I 958 00:51:58,880 --> 00:52:01,279 Speaker 1: don't know, it's sometimes had seemed to have something to 959 00:52:01,320 --> 00:52:05,080 Speaker 1: do of how high the temperatures were. So you know, 960 00:52:05,160 --> 00:52:07,520 Speaker 1: if you grab a turtle that maybe has just woken 961 00:52:07,600 --> 00:52:10,040 Speaker 1: up and hadn't had time to really go to the 962 00:52:10,080 --> 00:52:13,560 Speaker 1: surface and sun basketball to really kind of wake up 963 00:52:13,560 --> 00:52:16,719 Speaker 1: and get their metabolism going, um, there might be a 964 00:52:16,760 --> 00:52:19,600 Speaker 1: little bit more sluggish. Then if you have one turtle 965 00:52:19,640 --> 00:52:22,479 Speaker 1: that has been already you know, absorbed all the heat 966 00:52:22,600 --> 00:52:26,040 Speaker 1: energy and the muscles are all ready for action, and 967 00:52:26,080 --> 00:52:27,920 Speaker 1: then they start fighting you when you have them on 968 00:52:27,960 --> 00:52:30,040 Speaker 1: the boat. Now, I realized there's a lot to unpack 969 00:52:30,120 --> 00:52:32,239 Speaker 1: with this question, and I think we've touched on it 970 00:52:32,840 --> 00:52:35,640 Speaker 1: a little bit at least already in the conversation. But 971 00:52:35,719 --> 00:52:39,320 Speaker 1: what are the biggest threats to see turtles today and 972 00:52:39,320 --> 00:52:41,960 Speaker 1: and and what is the current state of turtle conservation? 973 00:52:42,080 --> 00:52:44,400 Speaker 1: What are the most important things we we are doing 974 00:52:44,960 --> 00:52:47,839 Speaker 1: to help them and can do to help them? Yeah, 975 00:52:47,880 --> 00:52:50,000 Speaker 1: so first up, I think we have to say very 976 00:52:50,000 --> 00:52:54,799 Speaker 1: clearly that all sevency turtle species are considered endangered in 977 00:52:54,840 --> 00:52:56,680 Speaker 1: one shape or form. I mean this like you know 978 00:52:56,760 --> 00:52:59,680 Speaker 1: the I U C N that is um cur writing 979 00:52:59,760 --> 00:53:04,040 Speaker 1: the red list of endangered species as having certain categories 980 00:53:04,760 --> 00:53:09,360 Speaker 1: and different sea turtles species, and even different within the species, 981 00:53:09,400 --> 00:53:13,040 Speaker 1: different populations have sometimes different status is but I think 982 00:53:13,360 --> 00:53:18,719 Speaker 1: as a generalizing term, they are all somehow endangered um nowadays. 983 00:53:18,800 --> 00:53:22,640 Speaker 1: And then if we think about the threats, it's just 984 00:53:22,920 --> 00:53:25,360 Speaker 1: it's not just one. I think it's pretty much the 985 00:53:25,400 --> 00:53:28,080 Speaker 1: exact same ones that when we talk about our ocean 986 00:53:28,600 --> 00:53:31,320 Speaker 1: in general, it's exactly the same things that are also 987 00:53:31,760 --> 00:53:34,760 Speaker 1: endangering sea turtles. So, of course the biggie is climate change. 988 00:53:35,120 --> 00:53:38,400 Speaker 1: So we already talked about temperatures that are super important 989 00:53:38,400 --> 00:53:41,840 Speaker 1: to sea turtles, and so rising temperatures are creating you know, 990 00:53:41,920 --> 00:53:46,520 Speaker 1: issues with the yeah, overproduction of females. But the other 991 00:53:46,560 --> 00:53:50,399 Speaker 1: biggie is also um sea level rice, so we have 992 00:53:50,600 --> 00:53:54,400 Speaker 1: nesting habitat that is disappearing because sea levels are rising 993 00:53:54,480 --> 00:53:57,680 Speaker 1: and nesting beaches are disappearing. Then the big category that 994 00:53:57,760 --> 00:54:00,880 Speaker 1: is next is of course ocean pollution, and there we 995 00:54:00,960 --> 00:54:03,719 Speaker 1: can talk about oil spills that are happening way too 996 00:54:03,800 --> 00:54:06,640 Speaker 1: frequently and it's not always at the press reports about it. 997 00:54:07,520 --> 00:54:10,640 Speaker 1: We can talk about the not so visible pollution through 998 00:54:10,719 --> 00:54:16,239 Speaker 1: fertilizers and pesticides that comes from our agriculture, agricultural activities 999 00:54:16,239 --> 00:54:20,360 Speaker 1: on land that leads to diseases such as fiber public puloma, 1000 00:54:20,520 --> 00:54:23,680 Speaker 1: which is kind of a virus disease that causes really 1001 00:54:24,200 --> 00:54:28,800 Speaker 1: crazy tumors, and sea turtles um. Then of course plastic pollution, 1002 00:54:29,200 --> 00:54:32,560 Speaker 1: So every single species of sea turtles has been documented 1003 00:54:32,920 --> 00:54:37,280 Speaker 1: to have ingested plastic already. Um A lot of times 1004 00:54:37,320 --> 00:54:39,799 Speaker 1: when we have dead turtles, we cut them open, they're 1005 00:54:39,800 --> 00:54:44,360 Speaker 1: just full of plastic. Interesting fact, the first ingestion of 1006 00:54:44,400 --> 00:54:48,719 Speaker 1: plastic and sea turtles was actually found in letter backs. 1007 00:54:48,760 --> 00:54:51,440 Speaker 1: So the first paper that was published on that was 1008 00:54:51,440 --> 00:54:54,520 Speaker 1: published in the nineteen eighties, and then the same author 1009 00:54:54,640 --> 00:54:57,239 Speaker 1: actually went back to all records from like I think 1010 00:54:57,280 --> 00:55:00,760 Speaker 1: the six season seventies to see for evidence if somebody 1011 00:55:00,800 --> 00:55:04,640 Speaker 1: else had been recording plastic, and they did find that 1012 00:55:04,760 --> 00:55:08,720 Speaker 1: even before that time, people had already found plastic in 1013 00:55:08,560 --> 00:55:12,319 Speaker 1: in in sea turtles, in leather bags specifically. And then 1014 00:55:12,360 --> 00:55:16,239 Speaker 1: the other thing, of course, is over exploitation. So in many, many, 1015 00:55:16,280 --> 00:55:20,560 Speaker 1: many developing countries in Asia, Africa, South America, Central America, 1016 00:55:21,040 --> 00:55:24,399 Speaker 1: people still take sea turtle eggs because they believe either 1017 00:55:25,040 --> 00:55:27,680 Speaker 1: they're better than chicken eggs or they believe it's a 1018 00:55:27,719 --> 00:55:32,600 Speaker 1: type of natural Viagraah, So older men try to increase 1019 00:55:32,680 --> 00:55:38,000 Speaker 1: their sex drive by yeah, by by eating sea turtle eggs. 1020 00:55:38,040 --> 00:55:41,919 Speaker 1: But there's also still a culture around consuming sea turtle meat, 1021 00:55:42,320 --> 00:55:46,760 Speaker 1: especially the meat of green turtles lets. You know, dates 1022 00:55:46,760 --> 00:55:50,880 Speaker 1: back many many centuries to sailors and other seafares that 1023 00:55:51,400 --> 00:55:55,200 Speaker 1: love taking turtles because they're just there's amazing protein source 1024 00:55:55,239 --> 00:55:57,680 Speaker 1: and turtles don't need much so they don't need much water, 1025 00:55:57,719 --> 00:55:59,960 Speaker 1: they don't need much food, but to keep them alive 1026 00:56:00,120 --> 00:56:02,719 Speaker 1: sometimes you can tie them outside of the boat and 1027 00:56:03,080 --> 00:56:05,120 Speaker 1: when you need one, you just slaughter them and then 1028 00:56:05,120 --> 00:56:08,399 Speaker 1: you have fresh meat. And then um, the other one 1029 00:56:08,560 --> 00:56:12,240 Speaker 1: is the in the exploitation range is the sea turtles 1030 00:56:12,280 --> 00:56:16,719 Speaker 1: shell trap, which is affecting especially hawks bill turtles, so 1031 00:56:16,920 --> 00:56:19,480 Speaker 1: tortoise shell I think you might have seen the pattern. 1032 00:56:19,800 --> 00:56:23,400 Speaker 1: Um yeah, it's for for jewelry, for or for forum 1033 00:56:24,239 --> 00:56:27,719 Speaker 1: for glasses, for reading glasses and els. Um. Yeah, that's 1034 00:56:27,760 --> 00:56:30,680 Speaker 1: also long history. And then of course the other biggie 1035 00:56:30,800 --> 00:56:36,960 Speaker 1: is um over fishing. So industrial fishing just doesn't just 1036 00:56:37,080 --> 00:56:41,280 Speaker 1: you know, catch target species, but has an incredible amount 1037 00:56:41,320 --> 00:56:45,120 Speaker 1: of bycatch what we call incidental takes. So it's species 1038 00:56:45,120 --> 00:56:47,600 Speaker 1: that were not meant to be fished, but end up 1039 00:56:47,600 --> 00:56:50,279 Speaker 1: in those nets or on those lines as well. And 1040 00:56:50,320 --> 00:56:53,320 Speaker 1: since sea turtles, like I said, already need to breathe 1041 00:56:53,360 --> 00:56:56,960 Speaker 1: air um, they're actually sometimes a lot of times not 1042 00:56:57,080 --> 00:57:00,120 Speaker 1: able to surface and drown on those nets and and 1043 00:57:00,320 --> 00:57:03,480 Speaker 1: we it's really it's an overwhelming number of turtles that 1044 00:57:03,560 --> 00:57:08,080 Speaker 1: die every single year in fishing operations, and it is 1045 00:57:08,200 --> 00:57:11,520 Speaker 1: really sad, especially when you think about over exploitation it 1046 00:57:11,640 --> 00:57:14,960 Speaker 1: needs in turtle shell and also in in um in 1047 00:57:15,000 --> 00:57:17,960 Speaker 1: the fishing lines. Is that you know, there is a 1048 00:57:18,080 --> 00:57:21,240 Speaker 1: very low chance for babies to survive. But once you've 1049 00:57:21,240 --> 00:57:24,760 Speaker 1: reached a certain size as a sea turtle, there's really 1050 00:57:24,840 --> 00:57:27,800 Speaker 1: not that many natural predators. And since it takes such 1051 00:57:27,800 --> 00:57:30,800 Speaker 1: a long time for a seaturtle to reach sexual maturity, 1052 00:57:30,920 --> 00:57:34,360 Speaker 1: each individual is so valuable to the population. And it's 1053 00:57:34,360 --> 00:57:37,720 Speaker 1: exactly those individuals that die, you know, when you want 1054 00:57:37,760 --> 00:57:39,680 Speaker 1: to have meat, when you want to have turtle shell, 1055 00:57:40,080 --> 00:57:43,000 Speaker 1: or if you have bycatch. Now, when you mentioned the 1056 00:57:43,040 --> 00:57:46,600 Speaker 1: effects of of plastics on sea turtles, with the human 1057 00:57:46,600 --> 00:57:50,480 Speaker 1: activity that causes this primarily be the high volume use 1058 00:57:50,680 --> 00:57:54,720 Speaker 1: of single use plastics or other things too, or what 1059 00:57:54,760 --> 00:57:56,840 Speaker 1: do you think is the you know, the day to 1060 00:57:56,880 --> 00:57:59,600 Speaker 1: day human activity that contributes most to that in the ocean. 1061 00:58:00,040 --> 00:58:03,200 Speaker 1: I think there's a lot of misconception about how plastic, 1062 00:58:03,280 --> 00:58:05,280 Speaker 1: first of all, ends up in our ocean and how 1063 00:58:05,360 --> 00:58:09,160 Speaker 1: plastic waste is created. It is very overwhelming of how 1064 00:58:09,320 --> 00:58:13,320 Speaker 1: much tons of plastic we are having each year, and 1065 00:58:13,320 --> 00:58:16,920 Speaker 1: it's increasing exponentially. So in just two thousand and fifteen, 1066 00:58:16,960 --> 00:58:19,920 Speaker 1: which is already six years back, we were already produced 1067 00:58:19,960 --> 00:58:23,360 Speaker 1: between four hundred and five hundred million metric tons of 1068 00:58:23,360 --> 00:58:28,160 Speaker 1: of of plastic each year, which good is mainly for 1069 00:58:28,320 --> 00:58:33,959 Speaker 1: food wrapping and packaging, and about forty are produced only 1070 00:58:34,000 --> 00:58:37,280 Speaker 1: for single use. Right, So you have this lyrical product 1071 00:58:37,600 --> 00:58:41,240 Speaker 1: plastic that can last for hundreds of years, and you're 1072 00:58:41,360 --> 00:58:44,520 Speaker 1: using it for the use of like literary seconds or minutes, 1073 00:58:45,080 --> 00:58:48,240 Speaker 1: and a lot of times, especially those single use plastics, 1074 00:58:48,280 --> 00:58:51,360 Speaker 1: are first of all, not recyclable at all, because there're 1075 00:58:51,360 --> 00:58:54,080 Speaker 1: two lights in the way of how you know, recycling 1076 00:58:54,160 --> 00:59:00,160 Speaker 1: is processed. But even if they were recycling recyclable, the 1077 00:59:00,200 --> 00:59:04,560 Speaker 1: reality is that only about four to nine percent of 1078 00:59:04,600 --> 00:59:08,040 Speaker 1: the plastic really gets recycled. So, you know, a lot 1079 00:59:08,040 --> 00:59:10,360 Speaker 1: of people feel good because it's like, hey, I recycle 1080 00:59:10,560 --> 00:59:15,000 Speaker 1: I'm not back, you know, I dispose of my trash responsibly. 1081 00:59:15,440 --> 00:59:19,280 Speaker 1: But the problem is most developing, as most developed countries 1082 00:59:19,280 --> 00:59:23,600 Speaker 1: are actually sending their plastic trash to developing countries. So 1083 00:59:23,720 --> 00:59:28,080 Speaker 1: the US, Europe, European countries, we're are sending our trash 1084 00:59:28,280 --> 00:59:31,400 Speaker 1: to Asia. Used to send it to China, but now 1085 00:59:31,400 --> 00:59:34,800 Speaker 1: it's going to Indonesia, to Malaysia, to other places which 1086 00:59:34,840 --> 00:59:38,600 Speaker 1: have not a great waste management program. And you know, 1087 00:59:38,680 --> 00:59:42,640 Speaker 1: since so little is really like you know, recyclable, it 1088 00:59:42,720 --> 00:59:46,080 Speaker 1: will end up in our oceans anyways. Right, So even 1089 00:59:46,200 --> 00:59:49,360 Speaker 1: you at home separated and you felt good about yourself 1090 00:59:49,400 --> 00:59:51,640 Speaker 1: because you did a good job, but in the end 1091 00:59:51,680 --> 00:59:53,800 Speaker 1: it will end up in landfills that might not be 1092 00:59:53,920 --> 00:59:57,080 Speaker 1: so well managed, even within the U. S. If you 1093 00:59:57,160 --> 00:59:59,640 Speaker 1: just think about you know, hurricanes, so you have an 1094 00:59:59,640 --> 01:00:02,360 Speaker 1: open landfill, you know, the next hurricane that kind of 1095 01:00:02,400 --> 01:00:03,919 Speaker 1: goes through, what do you think it's going to happen 1096 01:00:03,960 --> 01:00:06,480 Speaker 1: to your trash? You know, it's going to be ending 1097 01:00:06,560 --> 01:00:09,200 Speaker 1: up in the waterways, and eventually it will also end 1098 01:00:09,240 --> 01:00:11,280 Speaker 1: up in the ocean. So it's not just you know, 1099 01:00:11,560 --> 01:00:14,880 Speaker 1: cruise boats or container ships that are creating all the 1100 01:00:14,920 --> 01:00:17,840 Speaker 1: plastic trash or the people that visit the beaches and 1101 01:00:17,920 --> 01:00:20,920 Speaker 1: leave their trash behind. No, it's every single person in 1102 01:00:20,960 --> 01:00:24,000 Speaker 1: the world that is contributing to the issue. I want 1103 01:00:24,000 --> 01:00:26,440 Speaker 1: to make that very clear, because that's always the easy 1104 01:00:26,480 --> 01:00:28,480 Speaker 1: way out. But where people are listening, well, I'm not 1105 01:00:28,560 --> 01:00:31,480 Speaker 1: part of the problem. We're all part of the problem. 1106 01:00:31,520 --> 01:00:33,520 Speaker 1: And I think the other problem is it's like the 1107 01:00:33,560 --> 01:00:38,200 Speaker 1: convenience people are just so used to kind of rapid 1108 01:00:38,280 --> 01:00:42,800 Speaker 1: consumption of food and everything and beverages and um in 1109 01:00:42,840 --> 01:00:45,800 Speaker 1: the pandemic, now, you know, just the amount of takeout 1110 01:00:46,320 --> 01:00:50,960 Speaker 1: that has been probably um yeah, perpetuated because you know, 1111 01:00:51,080 --> 01:00:54,160 Speaker 1: everybody's at home and wants to still eat something from 1112 01:00:54,160 --> 01:00:57,600 Speaker 1: a restaurant. And so the style form containers, the plastic bottles, 1113 01:00:57,640 --> 01:01:00,919 Speaker 1: the plastic cups, the plastic cutlery, all of that needs 1114 01:01:00,920 --> 01:01:04,320 Speaker 1: to go somewhere, right, and uh yeah, it usually doesn't 1115 01:01:04,360 --> 01:01:07,080 Speaker 1: get recycled, and it will somehow end up in our 1116 01:01:07,200 --> 01:01:11,240 Speaker 1: environment in one way or another. So that means the 1117 01:01:11,320 --> 01:01:13,440 Speaker 1: only thing that we can really do is is really 1118 01:01:13,480 --> 01:01:16,360 Speaker 1: try to reduce our use of plastic as much as 1119 01:01:16,400 --> 01:01:18,920 Speaker 1: we can. And I'm not trying to say, you know, oh, 1120 01:01:18,960 --> 01:01:21,720 Speaker 1: we need all to be like completely plastic free, because 1121 01:01:21,720 --> 01:01:24,760 Speaker 1: that is it's a utopia that is not possible. I 1122 01:01:24,760 --> 01:01:27,080 Speaker 1: mean my computer that I'm using to speak to you 1123 01:01:27,200 --> 01:01:30,040 Speaker 1: right now, the you know certain things that I use 1124 01:01:30,120 --> 01:01:33,160 Speaker 1: for my science doctors that are using the syringer. It's 1125 01:01:33,200 --> 01:01:36,920 Speaker 1: just like, there's certain advantages you know of plastic that 1126 01:01:37,040 --> 01:01:39,640 Speaker 1: I think are super important for us as a species 1127 01:01:39,680 --> 01:01:42,600 Speaker 1: as well. But do we really need to use plastic 1128 01:01:42,880 --> 01:01:45,720 Speaker 1: for like, um, you know, to drink out of a 1129 01:01:45,760 --> 01:01:48,680 Speaker 1: cup where we don't even need, ah, you know, a 1130 01:01:48,720 --> 01:01:50,720 Speaker 1: straw in the first place. If if we're able to 1131 01:01:50,720 --> 01:01:53,200 Speaker 1: bloody people, we can just drink out of the cup. 1132 01:01:53,400 --> 01:01:56,200 Speaker 1: Or you know, if you're getting tag out, um and 1133 01:01:56,280 --> 01:01:58,560 Speaker 1: you have all your silver wet home, why do you 1134 01:01:58,600 --> 01:02:02,080 Speaker 1: need to get plastic cutler right? It's just it's so easy. 1135 01:02:02,120 --> 01:02:03,800 Speaker 1: I get it because you don't have to wash it up, 1136 01:02:03,840 --> 01:02:05,800 Speaker 1: you just throw it out. But there is a price 1137 01:02:05,840 --> 01:02:08,040 Speaker 1: to it, you know, there's always a price that somebody 1138 01:02:08,040 --> 01:02:09,880 Speaker 1: has to pay the price, and a lot of times, 1139 01:02:09,960 --> 01:02:14,320 Speaker 1: unfortunately it's the wildlife, um that is praying the price 1140 01:02:14,320 --> 01:02:17,080 Speaker 1: and not us. Is there anything else that you think 1141 01:02:17,080 --> 01:02:19,240 Speaker 1: would be really important to hit before we wrap up here? 1142 01:02:19,760 --> 01:02:22,360 Speaker 1: Very important? I don't know. I just you know, want 1143 01:02:22,400 --> 01:02:26,320 Speaker 1: to motivate people to really understand that there is a 1144 01:02:26,360 --> 01:02:29,920 Speaker 1: certain degree that we have a there's a degree of 1145 01:02:29,960 --> 01:02:31,880 Speaker 1: power that we have as consumer, right, So I do 1146 01:02:31,960 --> 01:02:34,400 Speaker 1: not want to try to fool you into believing that 1147 01:02:34,480 --> 01:02:37,640 Speaker 1: the consumers are the ones that are really, you know, 1148 01:02:37,880 --> 01:02:40,680 Speaker 1: having to carry all the responsibility for for example, of 1149 01:02:40,760 --> 01:02:44,360 Speaker 1: plastic pollution, it's really the large companies that are creating 1150 01:02:44,400 --> 01:02:48,120 Speaker 1: most of our our problem. But we can vote with 1151 01:02:48,280 --> 01:02:51,320 Speaker 1: our decision, like with our choices, right, So if if 1152 01:02:51,360 --> 01:02:54,720 Speaker 1: you spend your money with a certain company, you're voting 1153 01:02:54,760 --> 01:02:57,240 Speaker 1: for that money quite literally. So I just think we 1154 01:02:57,280 --> 01:02:59,960 Speaker 1: need to be more conscious about how we're spending our money. 1155 01:03:00,040 --> 01:03:01,920 Speaker 1: And I just always try to convince people just to 1156 01:03:01,960 --> 01:03:06,600 Speaker 1: consume less, just buy less crap, because it's just like, 1157 01:03:06,600 --> 01:03:09,760 Speaker 1: you know, I get it. Capitalism is trying to make 1158 01:03:09,800 --> 01:03:12,120 Speaker 1: you buy more and more and tries to, you know, 1159 01:03:12,400 --> 01:03:14,600 Speaker 1: make you believe that you need this newest thing. But 1160 01:03:14,680 --> 01:03:17,280 Speaker 1: it's it's you know, it's not true. It really isn't true. 1161 01:03:17,320 --> 01:03:19,680 Speaker 1: And I think we just need to be a lotte 1162 01:03:20,520 --> 01:03:25,480 Speaker 1: more conscientious of of our consumer behavior and then we 1163 01:03:25,600 --> 01:03:29,280 Speaker 1: just become better consumers. I think. All right, well, Christine 1164 01:03:29,280 --> 01:03:31,760 Speaker 1: thanks so much for chatting with us today and uh 1165 01:03:31,760 --> 01:03:34,680 Speaker 1: sharing all this great information about about about sea turtles. 1166 01:03:36,000 --> 01:03:38,520 Speaker 1: I feel like I learned to learned so much today 1167 01:03:38,560 --> 01:03:41,600 Speaker 1: about the about the seven sea turtles we still have 1168 01:03:42,160 --> 01:03:44,240 Speaker 1: as well as their you know, their their current plight. 1169 01:03:45,000 --> 01:03:47,280 Speaker 1: So I guess what one thing to ask would be 1170 01:03:48,120 --> 01:03:50,080 Speaker 1: if anyone out there listening to this, if they want 1171 01:03:50,080 --> 01:03:53,080 Speaker 1: to follow you and your work online, where can they 1172 01:03:53,120 --> 01:03:55,720 Speaker 1: go to do so? Where do you like to send people? Yeah, 1173 01:03:55,760 --> 01:03:59,680 Speaker 1: I'm pretty active on Instagram, so I'm sea turtle biologists. 1174 01:03:59,760 --> 01:04:02,920 Speaker 1: Very easy if you guys want to check out my Instagram, 1175 01:04:02,960 --> 01:04:05,680 Speaker 1: I'm trying to create content about you know, sea turtles 1176 01:04:05,800 --> 01:04:09,720 Speaker 1: and about plastic pollution and just giving ideas of of 1177 01:04:09,720 --> 01:04:11,960 Speaker 1: of what's going on out in the field where I am. 1178 01:04:12,440 --> 01:04:14,800 Speaker 1: And that's definitely one way. And yeah, if you guys 1179 01:04:14,800 --> 01:04:17,160 Speaker 1: want to support my work, UM there is an app 1180 01:04:17,160 --> 01:04:20,800 Speaker 1: called milky Wire where you can become monthly supporters I 1181 01:04:20,840 --> 01:04:23,200 Speaker 1: think starting at like about three or five dollars, so 1182 01:04:23,240 --> 01:04:25,080 Speaker 1: literally just like as if you would invite me to 1183 01:04:25,160 --> 01:04:28,120 Speaker 1: coffee each month. And that is a huge difference because 1184 01:04:28,160 --> 01:04:31,440 Speaker 1: that is pretty much how we sustain our conservation efforts UM, 1185 01:04:31,480 --> 01:04:33,680 Speaker 1: which is paying my guys that are patrolling the beaches 1186 01:04:33,720 --> 01:04:37,000 Speaker 1: trying to keep the turtles safe from poachers and make 1187 01:04:37,040 --> 01:04:39,280 Speaker 1: sure that the babies have a good chance of, you know, 1188 01:04:39,360 --> 01:04:42,439 Speaker 1: having a good start in life. Yeah. I think that's 1189 01:04:42,440 --> 01:04:46,200 Speaker 1: probably the easiest way of connecting with me. Excellent, all right, Well, 1190 01:04:46,240 --> 01:04:48,480 Speaker 1: well again again, thanks so much for taking time out 1191 01:04:48,480 --> 01:04:50,880 Speaker 1: of your day to chat with us. This has been great. Yeah, 1192 01:04:50,880 --> 01:04:53,720 Speaker 1: thank you so much for having me. That's fun nerding 1193 01:04:53,720 --> 01:04:59,480 Speaker 1: out about turtles. All right. Thanks once more to Christine 1194 01:04:59,600 --> 01:05:01,680 Speaker 1: Figuring for taking time out of her day to just 1195 01:05:01,880 --> 01:05:04,680 Speaker 1: chat with us about sea turtles and sea turtle conservation. 1196 01:05:04,960 --> 01:05:07,480 Speaker 1: Uh that this was a real blast. And if you 1197 01:05:07,480 --> 01:05:10,960 Speaker 1: would like to to follow her on social media, uh, 1198 01:05:10,960 --> 01:05:12,480 Speaker 1: these are a few of the places you can end 1199 01:05:12,480 --> 01:05:14,360 Speaker 1: just in general on the internet. Here a few places 1200 01:05:14,400 --> 01:05:18,040 Speaker 1: you can go on Instagram. Uh, she is a sea 1201 01:05:18,120 --> 01:05:23,680 Speaker 1: turtle biologist. One word on Facebook, it is c F. Figener. 1202 01:05:23,760 --> 01:05:26,640 Speaker 1: That's f I g g e n e R. And 1203 01:05:26,760 --> 01:05:30,480 Speaker 1: on Twitter, uh, she is Chris Figners, So that's Chris 1204 01:05:30,560 --> 01:05:32,840 Speaker 1: C h R I S f I g g e 1205 01:05:33,040 --> 01:05:34,960 Speaker 1: n e R. And you can also go to her 1206 01:05:35,000 --> 01:05:39,160 Speaker 1: website which is Sea Turtle Biologist dot com and then 1207 01:05:39,200 --> 01:05:43,800 Speaker 1: the Coasts organization uh coasts dot c r on is 1208 01:05:43,840 --> 01:05:46,720 Speaker 1: the Instagram tag and you can uh that one is 1209 01:05:46,760 --> 01:05:52,120 Speaker 1: also connected to uh DR Figener's Facebook account. We're gonna 1210 01:05:52,120 --> 01:05:53,600 Speaker 1: go and close it out there, but if you want 1211 01:05:53,640 --> 01:05:55,800 Speaker 1: to listen to other episodes of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, 1212 01:05:55,920 --> 01:05:58,320 Speaker 1: you can find them in the Stuff to Blow Your 1213 01:05:58,320 --> 01:06:02,120 Speaker 1: Mind podcast feed with core science and culture episodes publishing 1214 01:06:02,240 --> 01:06:07,080 Speaker 1: on Tuesdays and Thursday's, Artifact episode on Wednesday, listener mail 1215 01:06:07,160 --> 01:06:09,439 Speaker 1: on Monday, and on Friday's we do a little weird 1216 01:06:09,440 --> 01:06:12,240 Speaker 1: house cinema. That's our time to set the science aside 1217 01:06:12,400 --> 01:06:15,280 Speaker 1: and just focus on a weird movie. Huge thanks as 1218 01:06:15,320 --> 01:06:18,920 Speaker 1: always to our excellent audio producer Seth Nicholas Johnson. If 1219 01:06:18,960 --> 01:06:20,320 Speaker 1: you would like to get in touch with us with 1220 01:06:20,400 --> 01:06:23,000 Speaker 1: feedback on this episode or any other, to suggest topic 1221 01:06:23,040 --> 01:06:24,840 Speaker 1: for the future, or just to say hello, you can 1222 01:06:24,880 --> 01:06:27,640 Speaker 1: email us at contact at stuff to Blow your Mind 1223 01:06:27,800 --> 01:06:37,560 Speaker 1: dot com. Stuff to Blow Your Mind is production of 1224 01:06:37,600 --> 01:06:40,200 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for My Heart Radio, 1225 01:06:40,440 --> 01:06:43,280 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you're 1226 01:06:43,280 --> 01:07:01,120 Speaker 1: listening to your favorite shows. The Child Went By a 1227 01:07:01,120 --> 01:07:02,200 Speaker 1: movie