Freshwater turtles are in serious trouble: about a third of the world's species are on the edge of extinction, and others are facing all kinds of problems. It's the usual litany: habitat destruction, over-hunting, the exotic pet trade, and of course, Chinese medicine (traditional Chinese medicine: where ignorance and superstition lead to gratuitous extinction events).
Turtles are an ancient clade — and the cause of their decline is clear and inarguable. It's us. I think I need to die before I have grandchildren so I don't have to explain to them how we screwed up their planet.
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There is so much happening in the world of sea turtles right now that we're going to dedicate an entire week of postings to sea turtles and their air breathing kin. We're calling it Megavertebrate Week. Note the new banner above.
J Nichols of the Ocean Conservancy and Ocean Revolution is a hero for the environment.
There are a few theories about why sea turtles