Heat weakens turtle hatchlings in Australia

It seems we’re not the only ones struggling to adapt to the summer weather — Australian researchers have found the increased temperatures may be affecting turtles too. Scientists found that green turtle hatchlings from Heron Island weren’t swimming as well as expected. Zoologist Dr David Booth, from UQ’s School of Biological Sciences, said green turtle hatchlings from Heron Island weren’t swimming as well as usual. “The 2008-2009 green turtle nesting season on Heron Island has seen the highest nest temperatures recorded at this site, with many nests having average temperatures above 31 degrees, and experiencing temperatures above 35 degrees during the last week of incubation,” Dr Booth said. “Initial impressions are that hatchlings emerging from these hot nests are not as strong swimmers as hatchlings coming from cooler nests recorded in previous years. “If climate change results in consistently high nest temperatures in the future, then the poorer swimming ability of hatchlings emerging from hot nests may have a negative impact on recruitment of hatchlings from coral cays because predation rate is thought to be related to swimming ability.” …

Heat Could Be Stifling Turtles’ Swimming Abilities In Australia