Sea turtles are an important umbrella species in marine ecosystems. The populations of all five species of sea turtles in China have dropped sharply due to massive illegal trade and habitat loss. The fast-growing demand for sea turtle displays from Chinese aquariums and private individuals has led to a large-scale illegal trade domestically and internationally. Captive sea turtles are also frequently kept in harsh environments with severe injuries and high mortality rates. Sea turtles have only recently been upgraded from level II to level I on the "List of Wildlife under Special State Protection", this protection level has therefore not matched the real status of sea turtles over the past three decades. The additional collusion between the government and business corporations encourages illegal trade. We argue that the commercial use of sea turtles must be completely prohibited to guarantee their future survival in Chinese waters.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.102517 | DOI Listing |
Animals (Basel)
December 2024
Instituto de Investigaciones Sobre los Recursos Naturales, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia 58330, Michoacán, Mexico.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27701.
In species with genetic sex determination (GSD), the sex identity of the soma determines germ cell fate. For example, in mice, XY germ cells that enter an ovary differentiate as oogonia, whereas XX germ cells that enter a testis initiate differentiation as spermatogonia. However, numerous species lack a GSD system and instead display temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Exp Biol
January 2025
Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada.
The embryonic environment is critical for the development of many ectothermic vertebrates, which makes them highly vulnerable to environmental change. Changes in temperature and moisture, in particular, are known to influence embryo survival and offspring phenotypes. While most papers concerning phenotypic development of terrestrial ectotherms focus on the role of temperature on eggs and embryos, the comparatively small number of studies on the effects of substrate moisture are well suited for quantitative analysis aimed at guiding future research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan.
The red-eared sliders (Emydidae: Trachemys scripta) is characterised by a high adaptability to a variety of environment and threatens the habitat of Japanese native species. The ability to digest a variety of diets may attribute to the high adaptive capacity of this species to various environments, however, the digestive morphology remains scarcely described in red-eared sliders. In this study, we investigated the macro- and microscopic anatomy of the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine in red-eared sliders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathogens
December 2024
School of Agriculture Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.
Malaria and other haemosporidian parasites are common in reptiles. During baseline health surveys of sea turtles in Western Australia (WA), haemosporidian parasites were detected in flatback () and green () turtle erythrocytes during routine blood film examination. 130 blood samples were screened via polymerase chain reaction (PCR), including 105 20 and 5 olive ridley turtles ().
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