Leatherback turtles: The menace of plastic |
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Authors: | N Mrosovsky Geraldine D Ryan |
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Institution: | a Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Harbord St. Ontario, Canada M5S 3G5 b Department of Environmental Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 c Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 4J1 |
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Abstract: | The leatherback, Dermochelyscoriacea, is a large sea turtle that feeds primarily on jellyfish. Floating plastic garbage could be mistaken for such prey. Autopsy records of 408 leatherback turtles, spanning 123 years (1885-2007), were studied for the presence or absence of plastic in the GI tract. Plastic was reported in 34% of these cases. If only cases from our first report (1968) of plastic were considered, the figure was 37%. Blockage of the gut by plastic was mentioned in some accounts. These findings are discussed in the context of removal of top predators from poorly understood food chains. |
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Keywords: | Conservation Food intake Jellyfish Leatherback Plastic Sea turtle |
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