Holistic nursing approach to trauma wound management in a loggerhead sea turtle

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 472-476
Author(s):  
Samantha Ashfield ◽  
Matthew Rendle
Keyword(s):  
Wound Healing ◽  
Uv Light ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Wound Management ◽  
Holistic Nursing ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
Care Plans ◽  
In The Wild

Wildlife Vets International provide support to many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) around the world with many species. The requirements for each species and project are different, but they are linked by the need to assess and if possible address all elements that will allow wound healing to occur. Sea turtles are a highly charismatic species and face many threats in the wild. Veterinary care of sea turtles needs to be optimal and carried out in a timely manner. Providing correct husbandry is essential for the healing of all reptile wounds, including sea turtles. It is important to remember we are nursing an intelligent, exothermic, ureotelic species, with a requirement for UV light, which is likely to be experiencing significant stress which we need to try and mitigate. Veterinary nurses are well placed to assist in assessing all these factors, documenting these assessments, creating care plans/bundles and, of course, carrying out the wound management itself. Dealing with the wound healing of wild animals is very challenging and complicated. A dynamic and holistic approach is essential, although sometimes overlooked, and every effort must be made to reduce treatment times. This will both improve welfare while under veterinary care, and will hopefully allow a timely return to the wild. New wound management products are becoming available all the time, and it is important that veterinary professionals are always looking for how they can use these in their wild animal patients, as well as always questioning why they use the materials they use.

Transplastron Enterocentesis to Manage Buoyancy Disorder in an Adult Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany L Liguori ◽  
MAXIMILIAN POLYAK ◽  
Samantha A Clark ◽  
Ashley N Sabater ◽  
Taylor B Clasen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastrointestinal Tract ◽  
Medical Therapy ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Systemic Disease ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
Gas Accumulation ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Patient Size

Buoyancy disorder in sea turtles is a common condition that contributes to increased morbidity and mortality in the wild and because of this, is often encountered in rehabilitation facilities. The pathological gas accumulation that is a sequelae of this disorder can create challenges in treatment of this disease, especially when concurrent systemic disease is present. These challenges increase with patient size, as anatomy and location of pathology makes gas evacuation more difficult utilizing conventional methods when medical therapy alone is unsuccessful. This report discusses a novel technique utilizing ultrasonic-guided transplastron enterocentesis of the proximal gastrointestinal tract in an adult loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta ) with suspected intestinal obstruction. The sea turtle presented with positive buoyancy and routine workup revealed gas accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as concurrent pneumonia. Medical therapy alone did not diminish the positive buoyancy or gastrointestinal distension. Ultrasonic-guided transplastron enterocentesis was performed via the connective tissue lateral to the 3rd inframarginal scute while the turtle was positioned with its left side raised, allowing any gas-filled intestine to be positioned laterally. Approximately 10.3 L of gas were evacuated from the proximal gastrointestinal lumen and within 15 mins, the turtle was neutrally buoyant. It continued to exhibit normal surfacing, diving, and resting behavior. The turtle was released 111 days after enterocentesis in order to allow treatment of the concurrent pneumonia. The technique discussed in this report has implications for improving treatment of buoyancy disorder in large adult sea turtles and increasing likelihood of release.

scholarly journals First report of the scavenging isopod Natatolana neglecta (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cirolanidae) feeding on a sea turtle

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 297
Author(s):  
OHIANA REVUELTA ◽  
FRANCESC DOMÈNECH ◽  
STEPHEN KEABLE ◽  
RAÚL MÍGUEZ-LOZANO
Keyword(s):  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Juvenile Male ◽  
Coelomic Cavity ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle

A juvenile male loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) was found dead in April 2015, entangled in a trammel net on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Post-mortem examination revealed the presence of ninety-five isopods dispersed in the coelomic cavity, and inside the oesophagus and skull. All individuals found scavenging on the sea turtle were identified as Natatolana neglecta (Hansen, 1890) (Isopoda: Cirolanidae). Genetic analysis of the isopod gut contents showed that they were feeding on turtle tissue, confirming that N. neglecta can also attack dead sea turtles. This study shows the value of cirolanids as potential indicators of the cause of death in stranded sea turtles.

Intraerythrocytic inclusion bodies in the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta from Madeira

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (5) ◽  
pp. 957-958 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.C. Eiras ◽  
T. Dellinger ◽  
A.J. Davies ◽  
G. Costa ◽  
A.P. Alves de Matos
Keyword(s):  
Red Blood Cells ◽  
Blood Cells ◽  
Inclusion Bodies ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
Intracytoplasmic Inclusion ◽  
Intracytoplasmic Inclusion Bodies

Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies were detected in the mature red blood cells of twenty juvenile loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, captured in Madeira. The bodies were mostly single, round to oval, frequently irregular in outline, and their diameter varied from 0.5 to 2.0 μm. Most bodies were associated with small granular areas, often in the form of a tail or projection. In some cells, only granular areas were apparent. The nuclei of most erythrocytes were irregular in outline but degeneration of red blood cells was not observed. The identity of these intraerythrocytic structures is not clear but they may be viral or rickettsial in nature.

A cleaning association between the oceanic crab Planes minutus and the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta

1994 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 735-737 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Davenport
Keyword(s):  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
General Acceptance

Columbus crabs, Planes minutus (L.) (Crustacea: Brachyura) are often found on the postero-ventral surfaces of sea turtles, particularly the loggerhead Caretta caretta (L.) (Testudines: Cheloniidae). There has been a general acceptance of a hypothesis that the crabs feed upon turtle faeces. However, evidence is presented here to demonstrate that Planes has a ‘cleaning’ role, feeding on other epibionts (e.g. barnacle cyprids, parasitic amphipods) during daylight hours. At night it is likely that the crabs feed on neustonic animals (e.g. euphausids). The species is also cannibalistic.

scholarly journals Orientation and open-sea navigation in sea turtles

1996 ◽  
Vol 199 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Lohmann ◽  
C Lohmann
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Field ◽  
Visual Cues ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Positional Information ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Compass Orientation ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
Open Sea ◽  
Nesting Beaches ◽  
Field Inclination

Loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings (Caretta caretta L.) emerge from underground nests, scramble to the sea and begin a transoceanic migration by swimming away from their natal beach and into the open ocean. Evidence suggests that hatchlings sequentially use three different sets of cues to maintain orientation during their initial migration offshore. While on the beach, hatchlings find the ocean by crawling towards the lower, brighter seaward horizon and away from the dark, elevated silhouettes of vegetation and dunes. Upon entering the ocean, turtles initially orient seawards by swimming into waves, which can be detected as orbital movements from under water. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that turtles can transfer a course initiated on the basis of waves or visual cues to a course mediated by a magnetic compass. Thus, by setting a magnetic course on the basis of nearshore cues that indicate the seaward direction, hatchlings may continue on offshore headings after entering deep water beyond sight of land. Sea turtles may use the earth's magnetic field not only as a cue for compass orientation but also as a source of world-wide positional information. Recent experiments have demonstrated that loggerheads can detect subtle differences in magnetic field inclination and intensity, two geomagnetic features that vary across the surface of the earth. Because most nesting beaches and oceanic regions are marked by a unique combination of these features, these findings raise the possibility that adult sea turtles navigate using a bicoordinate magnetic map.

scholarly journals First record of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta in Sebastián Vizcaíno Bay, Baja California Peninsula, Mexico

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 146-149
Author(s):  
Helena Fernández-Sanz ◽  
Fabián Castillo Romero ◽  
Joaquín Rivera Rodríguez ◽  
Noé López Paz ◽  
Gabriel Arturo Zaragoza Aguilar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baja California ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Chelonia Mydas ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
First Record ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Baja California Peninsula ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Biometric Data ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle

The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is an endangered species which distributes around the west coast of the Baja California Peninsula. In Baja California Sur, the conservation efforts for this species were focused in the Gulf of Ulloa; however, within the Pacific coast of the Baja California Peninsula, Sebastián Vizcaíno Bay (SVB) biological active center suit the optimal conditions for the presence of loggerheads. This study aimed to investigate SVB as a potential foraging area for loggerheads. Between July and August 2018, three prospective surveys were conducted, in search of marine turtles in SVB. A total of three loggerhead turtles and one eastern Pacific green turtle (Chelonia mydas) were captured; biometric data were recorded, and organisms were classified as juveniles. This is the first report of the loggerhead sea turtles in the SVB and given the oceanographic characteristics of the bay, it is a potential foraging and development area for the species.

scholarly journals Helminth Infection of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta along the Coasts of Sicily and the North West Adriatic Sea

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 1408
Author(s):  
Antonino Gentile ◽  
Tullia Amato ◽  
Andrea Gustinelli ◽  
Maria Letizia Fioravanti ◽  
Delia Gambino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Helminth Parasites ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
North West ◽  
The North

We provide new data on the presence of helminth parasites in 64 individual loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta stranded along the coasts of Sicily and the northwest Adriatic Sea between June 2014 and August 2016. The necropsy examination revealed 31 individuals (48.4%) positive for endoparasites, showing a greater prevalence of trematodes than nematodes. In particular, seven species and a single genus of Trematoda (Hapalotrema) and a single species and genus of Nematoda (Kathlania) were identified. Among the Digenea flukes the species with the highest prevalence of infection were Rhytidodes gelatinosus (34.6%) and Hapalotrema sp. (33.3%), while among the Nematoda they were Kathlania sp. (33.3%) and Sulcascaris sulcata (33.3%). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied among the recovery sites of the stranded loggerhead sea turtles and prevalence of endoparasites was used to highlight any relationship between the parasites and the origin of the hosts. ANOVA showed significant differences (p < 0.001) among the data used.

The widely occurring brittlestar Ophiactis savignyi (Amphilepidida: Ophiactidae) as an epibiont on loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4695 (5) ◽  
pp. 497-500
Author(s):  
RYOTA HAYASHI ◽  
MASANORI OKANISHI
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
First Occurrence

We describe the first occurrence of the widely occurring brittlestar Ophiactis savignyi (Müller & Troschel, 1842) as epibionts on Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758), the loggerhead sea turtles. On the sea turtle epibionts, the coronulid barnacles were well studied as listed in Hayashi (2013), and recently some crustaceans were collected from loggerhead sea turtles and described as new species (Tanabe et al. 2017; Tanaka and Hayashi 2019). In contrast, echinoderm epibionts listed from sea turtles are poorly understood (Table 1) and this study represents the novel discovery of an ophiuroid, which was not previously known to occur on the surface of this species. 

scholarly journals Dynamic Thermal Corridor May Connect Endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtles Across the Pacific Ocean

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dana K. Briscoe ◽  
Calandra N. Turner Tomaszewicz ◽  
Jeffrey A. Seminoff ◽  
Denise M. Parker ◽  
George H. Balazs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Bone Growth ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
The North ◽  
Ocean Conditions ◽  
Formed Part

The North Pacific Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) undergoes one of the greatest of all animal migrations, nesting exclusively in Japan and re-emerging several years later along important foraging grounds in the eastern North Pacific. Yet the mechanisms that connect these disparate habitats during what is known as the “lost years” have remained poorly understood. Here, we develop a new hypothesis regarding a possible physical mechanism for habitat connectivity – an intermittent “thermal corridor” – using remotely sensed oceanography and 6 juvenile loggerhead sea turtles that formed part of a 15 year tracking dataset of 231 individuals (1997–2013). While 97% of individuals remained in the Central North Pacific, these 6 turtles (about 3%), continued an eastward trajectory during periods associated with anomalously warm ocean conditions. These few individuals provided a unique opportunity to examine previously unknown recruitment pathways. To support this hypothesis, we employed an independently derived data set using novel stable isotope analyses of bone growth layers and assessed annual recruitment over the same time period (n = 33, 1997–2012). We suggest evidence of a thermal corridor that may allow for pulsed recruitment of loggerheads to the North American coast as a function of ocean conditions. Our findings offer, for the first time, the opportunity to explore the development of a dynamic ocean corridor for this protected species, illuminating a longstanding mystery in sea turtle ecology.

scholarly journals Record of the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, Caretta caretta (Testudines, Cheloniidae), in the Black Sea with the Review of the Species Occurrence in the Region

Zoodiversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-132
Author(s):  
O. Zinenko ◽  
K. A. Vishnyakova ◽  
L. Stoyanov ◽  
P. E. Gol’din
Keyword(s):  
Black Sea ◽  
Sea Turtles ◽  
Caretta Caretta ◽  
First Record ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
The Black Sea ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtles ◽  
Loggerhead Sea Turtle ◽  
The North ◽  
North Western

A rare live record of the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus, 1758) is reported from the Dzharylgach Gulf in the north-western Black Sea. This is the first record from Ukrainian waters since 1962 and the northernmost record of the species in the Black Sea. The loggerhead sea turtles of the east Mediterranean origin are increasingly often seen in the Marmara and the Black Sea during the latest decade, which is an evidence for potential expansion of this species range, at least partly due to climate changes. Key words: sea turtles, Caretta caretta, Black Sea, Ukraine, range expansion.

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