It’s a fact that the world as we know is heading towards terrible doom. Many species have faced or are facing extinction, and turtles are sharing the same fate. More than half of the turtle species are critically endangered or, in the worst-case scenario, they are already extinct. It’s a very discouraging number when we realize the ecological consequences this could bring.
According to research from the U.S. Center for Biological Sciences, of the 365 turtle species worldwide, 61% are threatened or already extinct. Turtles are among the most endangered animals worldwide, even more than birds, mammals, fish, and amphibians.
Research published in the journal BioScience cites that this crisis is “generally unrecognized or even ignored”. The situation is discouraging as it deprives turtles of generating public awareness that could help them gather more actions and resources to achieve survival.
It’s assumed that turtles are abundant on Earth. This misperception stems from the overexploitation of these animals as household pets. However, the reality is quite different for these resilient reptiles that even survived the extinction of dinosaurs millions of years ago.
Their survival is mainly due to their morphology, as well as their ability to adapt over time. So much so that when dinosaurs emerged on Earth, turtles were already ancient inhabitants of the planet. Thanks to their level of adaptation, they were able to roam alongside these enormous predators. Let’s remember that dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago.
A devastating loss
The extinction of turtles from the face of the Earth would be a devastating loss, so it is important to recognize the struggle they face and take action to preserve them. The adaptive characteristics that allowed them to survive the dinosaurs can do nothing in the face of the selfishness of humanity, who constantly destroys their natural habitat.
If this was not enough, there’s a global approach to conservation programs that prioritizes and selects areas for the protection of mammals and birds. However, they do not adequately consider the diversity of turtles.
Mother Nature is always trying to generate balance. Each actor has an important role to play, and when suppressed, the domino effect starts its chain reaction, fully impacting other factors in the ecosystems.
For this reason, turtles are crucial in the food chain network. With the peculiarity that they can be herbivores, omnivores, or carnivores. “Their diverse feeding habits allow them to influence the structure of other communities in their natural habitat.” In addition, some turtle species are important for the seed dispersal of dozens of plants.
The reality turtles are facing worldwide is alarming. Beyond their ecological importance and function in the food chain, no species should face this situation because of human selfishness, especially when it comes to animals that have been roaming the world for more than 200 million years.
“We must take the time to understand turtles, their natural history, and their importance to the environment. Or risk losing them in a new reality where they do not exist,” the research concludes.
Text courtesy of Ecoosfera
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