Pathoanatomical findings of a green turtle (Chelonia mydas) victim of collision with a motorboat

In this paper we report the trauma suffered by a green turtle (Chelonia mydas), caused by a collision with a motorboat, and describe the case ante and post-mortem. An adult female green turtle was rescued alive on December 2, 2016 at Ponta Negra beach, municipality of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The rescued animal was sent to the Marine Fauna Rehabilitation Center (PCCB-UERN), municipality of Areia Branca (RN), in Brazil. Physical examination revealed an excellent body score, noisy breathing, moderate dehydration, absence of hind limb and cloacal reflexes when stimulated by pressure, and two traumatic injuries characteristic of a collision with a motorboat. After three days of supportive treatment, the animal died and was immediately sent for necropsy. The animal had a complete fracture of the vertebral bodies (dorsal elements D9 and D10) and spinal cord section. The entire gastrointestinal tract had food content, in addition to sharp injuries in the colon caused by the bone fragments of the fractured carapace. The lungs were congested, hemorrhagic with frothy and bloody secretion, and interstitial bronchiole fibrosis. There was also present some fibrin and a large number of leukocyte cells, consisting mainly of macrophages. The liver was enlarged, with rounded edges and thickening of the capsule, multifocal areas of hepatocellular necrosis, and dissociation of the hepatocyte cords. The collision resulted in the exposure of the coelomic cavity and spinal cord, causing the animal intense pain, paralysis of the hind limbs and cloaca, septicemia, and consequently, death.

Analisis Akustik Target Strength Penyu Hijau (Chelonia Mydas) Melalui Pengukuran Secara Terkontrol Pada Frekuensi 200 kHz

ABSTRACT Turtles are reptiles that live in the sea and are able to migrate over long distances along the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Southeast Asia. Currently the number of turtle populations in nature has greatly decreased. This population decline is caused by natural factors and human activities that endanger the population directly or indirectly. At this time the tagging set technique (ID tag code) is a method that is often used to detect the presence of turtles by attaching tags to female turtles who are landing to lay eggs on the beach or while in captivity or the discovery of the mother turtle by fishermen. One other method that can be used to detect the presence of turtles is to use the acoustic method. The purpose of this study was to analyze the characteristics of the acoustic backscattering energy of the green turtle (Chelonia mydes) and to analyze the relationship between target strength and total body length of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas). This research was conducted in the Tapak Paderi waters pond, Bengkulu City, in August-October 2020. The average target strength (TS) value for green turtles was -48.07 dB. Based on the regression equation, the value of determination (R2) obtained is 0.78. Where this value shows that the total length of the green turtle has an effect of 78% on the average target strength (TS) value, while for 22% it is caused by other factors such as body shape, environmental factors and other factors. Based on the ANOVA test, it can be concluded that there is a relationship between the total length and the value of the target strength (TS) on the green turtle or the value of the total length has an influence on the value of the target strength (TS) on the green turtle.

Morphophysiological Analysis of Keratobranchial Bone II located in the Hyoid of the Green Turtle (Chelonias mydas) found in Peruíbe, South Coast of Brazil, Mosaic of Conservation Units-Juréia-Itatins and APACIP

The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) present in tropical seas, uses as a feeding area the coastal region of Peruíbe, has the skull as a relatively large and solid structure, and a strong jaw formed by the junction of small bones as it has very abrasive feeding. By applying scanning electron microscopy techniques, it was possible to identify the presence of a bone structure located in the hyoid in the ventral region of the skull along with the mandible of juvenile individuals of green turtles, and as there is no related research, it was necessary to perform a CT scan, decalcification and histology of the quelonian hyoid, to discover the morphological composition of this new structure, described only in the species Chelonia mydas. Thus, the morphology of the structures and its confirmation as a real bone, with characteristic of spongy bone, described as certobranchial II, was confirmed, thus helping researchers to seek other ways to understand the feeding processes of these animals that are going through a series of serious environmental problems and therefore perhaps having to change their eating habits to overcome the high level of pollution that we are finding in the oceans. RESUMO A tartaruga verde (Chelonia mydas) presente nos mares tropicais, utiliza como zona de alimentação a região costeira do Peruíbe, tem o crânio como uma estrutura relativamente grande e sólida, e uma mandíbula forte formada pela junção de pequenos ossos, uma vez que tem uma alimentação muito abrasiva. Aplicando técnicas de microscopia electrónica de varrimento, foi possível identificar a presença de uma estrutura óssea localizada no hióide na região ventral do crânio, juntamente com a mandíbula de indivíduos juvenis de tartarugas verdes, e como não existe investigação relacionada, foi necessário realizar um TAC, descalcificação e histologia do hióide quelónico, para descobrir a composição morfológica desta nova estrutura, descrita apenas na espécie Chelonia mydas. Assim, a morfologia das estruturas e a sua confirmação como um osso real, com característica de osso esponjoso, descrito como certobranchial II, foi confirmada, ajudando assim os investigadores a procurar outras formas de compreender os processos de alimentação destes animais que estão a passar por uma série de graves problemas ambientais e, por conseguinte, talvez tenham de alterar os seus hábitos alimentares para superar o elevado nível de poluição que estamos a encontrar nos oceanos.

Descrição Anatômica Esquelética da tartaruga verde (Chelonia Mydas) proveniente de encalhe nas unidades de Conservação do Mosaico Jureia-Itatins, Estação Ecológica Tupiniquins e APACIP – Área de Proteção Ambiental Cananeia-Iguape-Peruíbe-SP / Anatomical Skeletal Description of the Green Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) from stranded in the Jureia-Itatins Mosaic Conservation Units, Tupiniquins Ecological Station and Apacip – Cananeia-Iguape-Peruíbe-SP Environmental Protection zone

A tartaruga verde (Chelonia mydas) pertencente à família Cheloniidae é uma das espécies marinhas que habita todos os mares, apresentando comportamento altamente migratório com movimentos sazonais em busca de alimentos, além de alternar seu ciclo de vida em diferentes habitats. Embora sua origem seja terrestre, local onde são lentas e vulneráveis e onde fazem oviposição; estas evoluíram e se adaptaram ao ambiente marinho, local no qual se deslocam com rapidez e agilidade. Sua morfologia pode auxiliar na identificação das diferentes espécies de tartarugas marinhas, como por exemplo, número de placas na cabeça, formato das mandíbulas, entre outros. O dimorfismo sexual fica evidente na vida adulta, quando os machos passam a apresentar cauda mais longa e garra das nadadeiras anteriores curvada. Por ser a espécie mais comum no litoral brasileiro e por estar incluída na lista de espécies ameaçadas de extinção em escala mundial, este trabalho teve como objetivo descrever sua morfologia e anatomia esquelética a fim de difundir conhecimento básicos que visam a conservação desta espécie de tartaruga marinha.

Finding of a two-headed green turtle embryo during nest monitoring in Baa Atoll, Maldives

Green sea turtles are one of the two species of marine turtles known to nest in the Maldives. The prevalent time of nesting seems to be inconsistent throughout the island nation. In this study, sea turtle nesting activity was monitored on the island of Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu in Baa Atoll over a period of 12 months. A total of 13 nests were confirmed with a median hatching success rate of 89.58% as ascertained by nest excavation. In one of the nests, a severely deformed hatchling with polycephaly, an opening in the neck area and a lordotic spine was found, and we investigated in detail with radiographic images and a necropsy. Our findings support the importance of consistent nesting activity and nest monitoring efforts in the country as a basis for conservation efforts.