Reptiles
Classification
Morphology
Adult loggerhead sea turtles can weigh between 180 and 440 lbs and between 28 to 37 inches long, making them the world's largest hard-shelled turtle. Its upper side is reddish-brown or yellow-orange, while the underside is usually a pale yellow. They cannot retract their heads and flippers into their shells the way that land turtles do. Loggerheads are most active during the day. They spend up to 85% of their day submerged and they can dive for as long as 30 minutes, but can be submerged for up to four hours. They are bilaterally symmetrical.
Biology
The loggerhead sea turtle is an omnivore, meaning it eats meat and plants. It tends to eat bivalves, decapods, and gastropods, as well as fish, sponges, sea anemone, starfish, sea cucumbers, and more. It has large and powerful jaws, and will turn its head sideways to consume its food.
Loggerheads also have numerous predators. There are many animals that feed on their eggs, such as ghost crabs, cats, pigs, snakes, possums, bears, rats, and many more. The hatchlings have predators in toads, snakes, and seabirds, to name a few. Parrotfish and moray eels have a taste for juvenile loggerheads. The adults may be preyed upon by killer whales and large sharks. Beginning between the ages of 17 and 33. female loggerheads have a mating period of up to six weeks. Males may court females at times. When mating, the male will attempt to mount the female, and she will resist, and they will circle each other. The females will allow the males to fight over each other if there are competitors. |
Distribution Map
Ecological and Economic Importance
As with many sea turtles, humans have had a negative impact upon loggerhead sea turtles. They were extensively hunted for their meat and eggs, but legislation has decreased that exponentially. However, in Mexico, the eggs are considered to be an aphrodisiac and in many countries, the meat is popular. Bycatch, fishing gear, pollution, plastic, and destruction of habitat have all had a large negative impact on the specie.
Facts
- The loggerhead is endangered
- They tend to live in coastal waters
- They are the most common turtle in the Mediterranean Sea
- They are the most migratory turtle specie
- They are the most widespread of all marine turtles
Vocabulary
- scutes -the plates that make up the turtle's carapace
- plastron - the turtle's underside
- carapace - the turtle's upper shell
- pelagic - inhabiting the open ocean
- bycatch - the catch made up of non-target species
Resources
Birds
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphensiciformes
Family: Sphensicidae
Genus: Pygoscelis
Species: P. adeliae
Common Name: Adelie Penguin
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Sphensiciformes
Family: Sphensicidae
Genus: Pygoscelis
Species: P. adeliae
Common Name: Adelie Penguin
Morphology
Adelie penguins are about 18 to 20 inches tall and weigh about 8 to 13 pounds. They have red beaks and are mostly lack and and white all over; their eyes are surrounded by white rings. They are highly capable swimmers and will swim up to 185 miles to find food. They are bilaterally symmetrical.
Biology
Adelie penguins eat krill, small fish and squid. They are preyed upon by leopard seals, skua, and killer whales. They court by waving their flippers and making vocalisations. Female adelie penguins lay two eggs at a time, and both the male and female help to rear the eggs, of which only one usually survives after 35 days of incubation.
Distribution Map
Ecological and Economic Importance
Adelie penguins are classified as Near Threatened due to climate change and competition with commercial fisheries. They are protected under the Antarctic Treaty.
Facts
- The Adelie penguins are named for the wife of a French explored Dumont d'Urville
- They live in the Antarctic
- Some are prone to sexual deviation
Vocabulary
- baleens - In some whales, the comb-like fibrous plates hanging from the upper jaw that are used to sieve food from sea water
- Incubate - To keep eggs warm so that development is possible.
- Polynya - An area of persistent open water surrounded by ice; where adelie penguins swim