The Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle by Ashley Fagan

🐢 Description and Ecology

The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is a small sea turtle species, being only 2 feet in size and about 100 pounds (Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii)). They are the second smallest sea turtle, second to their close relative the olive ridley sea turtle.The Kemp’s ridley separated from the olive ridley sea turtle approximately 2.5-3.5 million years ago (National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and SEMARNAT). They are distributed all along the east coasts of the United States and Mexico. The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle is the most endangered sea turtle species in the world. Their turtle shells are generally a light green-gray color as adults which differs from the dark gray-black shells of hatchlings (Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle). Their shells are almost as wide as they are long. Their diet consists of crabs, jellyfish, shellfish, and some seaweed. Females can not lay eggs until they are 10-12 years old. Nesting happens from April to July. When nesting happens, females all emerge along the beach at the same time to lay their eggs. They are able to nest every couple years, laying about 100 eggs each time. Sadly only 1% of those hatchlings tend to survive to adulthood (Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle).

🐢 Geographic and Population Changes
Although the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle can be found along the United States and Mexican coast, the primary nesting spots for them are located along Mexico and Texas. Some major nesting sites occur in Mexico’s Tamaulipas and Veracruz. As well as Padre Island in Texas. In 1947, it is estimated that there was over 40,000 nesting females observed in Mexico. In only three decades, this number decreased to about 924 (National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and SEMARNAT).  Ever since the recovery plan was put into place for Kemp’s ridley sea turtles in 1992, the number of nests has been on a slow incline as seen in the graphs.

🐢 Listing Date and Type of Listing
The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was first listed as endangered in 1970. They were then listed under the Endangered Species Act as well. Their recovery plan was made in 1984 and revised in 1992 (Kemp's Ridley).

🐢 Cause of Listing and Main Threats

The Kemp’s ridley sea turtle was initially listed in 1970 as endangered because of hunting. After females would lay their eggs and leave, their eggs were often snatched up by humans looking to eat or sell the eggs. Due to conservation efforts, the harvesting of their eggs has decreased. More recently, threats to the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle include habitat loss, water pollution, and being caught as bycatch. Many of the beaches that these turtles lay their eggs on are inhabited by humans for recreation. Many beaches are used for vacation resorts that prevent the turtles from ever laying eggs because the great amount of tourists. Water pollution such as plastic bags, straws, and soda can rings all threaten the health of these turtles. Many mistake these plastics as food, eat them, and choke to death or become blocked in their stomach. Oil spills also kill the turtles as seen in the picture where a dead Kemp’s ridley turtle washed ashore covered in oil. Longline fishing and nets who are fishing for other marine life often accidentally entangle the turtles instead and kill or injure them.

🐢 Recovery Plan

The plan to rehabilitate the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle included protecting the beaches that the turtles would nest on, blocking the beaches from human contact. The plan also included “head-starting” where the eggs would be collected after the female leaves the nesting site. Scientists would then incubate the eggs until they hatch and then they release the hatchlings close to the water. This protects them from egg poachers as well as crabs, birds, and other predators that would eat the hatchlings. They also issued turtle excluder devices to fisheries which reduced the mortality of turtles in gillnets. They planned to get all fisheries that are near the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle’s range to use these devices. The plan also encouraged educational programs to make people aware of conservation efforts.

🐢 What can you do to #savetheturles !?

There are large measures you can take to save the turtles like volunteering to clean up trash from the beaches but there is also simple measures that you could easily implement into your daily life that would go a long way. If you live near the beach, make sure you turn off your lights at night or it will confuse the hatchlings when they try to find the ocean. You can also stay aware of nesting sites so you do not damage them if you are walking on the beach. If you see a nesting female, do not disturb them because they can easily be scared back into the ocean without laying their eggs. Reducing your waste and chemicals can also help turtles from pollution. If you know a fishery near you that does not use a turtle excluder device, you can write to them and ask them to use one. Lastly, donating towards conservation efforts goes a long way. Every penny counts!

🐢 Other Resources

Donate to the turtles today!: http://www.seeturtles.org/billion-baby-turtles/

Why the world needs sea turtles!: https://greentumble.com/why-are-sea-turtles-important-to-the-ecosystem/

General facts: https://conserveturtles.org/information-sea-turtles-species-world/

Adopt a sea turtle!: https://secure.defenders.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=wagc_seaturtle&s_src=3WEW1800XXXXX&s_subsrc=030718_adopt_block_sea-turtles/basic-facts

🐢 Citations

“Kemp's Ridley” National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admistration, 24 May 2017, http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/kempsridley.html. Accessed 2 March 2018.

“Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle.” National Geographic, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/k/kemps-ridley-sea-turtle/. Accessed 2 March 2018.

“Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii).” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, April 2015, https://www.fws.gov/northflorida/seaturtles/turtle%20factsheets/kemps-ridley-sea-turtle.htm. Accessed 2 March 2018.

National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and SEMARNAT. 2011. BiNational Recovery Plan for the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys kempii), Second Revision. National Marine Fisheries Service. Silver Spring, Maryland 156 pp. + appendices.  

🐢 Image Sources (in order of appearance)

Turtle emoji: http://www.iemoji.com/view/emoji/666/animals-nature/turtle  

Adult turtle photo: https://www.nps.gov/pais/learn/nature/kridley.htm

Hatchling photo: http://passporttotexas.org/category/shows/wildlife/endangered/

Map: http://www.ecology.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/kemps-ridley-sea-turtle-range-524.jpg

Graphs: https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/kempsridley_revision2_with%20signature.pdf

Oil spill photo: https://juliedermansky.photoshelter.com/image/I0000I0j8sHDY2XY

The Hawaiian Hoary Bat by Madison Fawcett

Figure 1: Notice the reddish color of the Hawaiian Hoary Bat

The Hawaiian Hoary Bat ( Lasiurus cinereus semotus)

Summarize Description and Ecology of Organism

Figure 2: Notice its petite size and 'hoary' appearance

The Hawaiian Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus semotus), or ‘Ōpe‘ape‘a in Hawaiian,  is a medium sized (0.5-0.8 ounces), nocturnal, insectivorous endangered bat. The bat is extremely furry with a brown/ gray/ white color giving it its frosted, ‘hoary’ appearance. The Hawaiian Hoary Bat usually appears to have a more reddish fur color than the North American Hoary Bat. Additionally, The Hawaiian Hoary Bat has short, thick, and rounded ears that are black around the edges. Compared to the North American Hoary Bat, The Hawaiian Hoary Bat has a smaller body size and a relatively larger skull size. A fun fact about these bats is that the females are usually larger than the males!

Figure 3: This is an example of a preferred habitat for the bats

It is an endemic, solitary, bat that likes to live among the foliage in trees. Moreover, they have been found in open habitats with lots of vegetation like open fields near native or nonnative vegetation, over the open ocean, lava flows or streams and ponds. The Hawaiian Hoary Bat’s diet consists mostly of moths but includes mosquitoes, beetles, crickets, and termites and a positive trait the bat carries is that it is highly unselective when choosing a tree to roost in.

Geographic and Population Changes

Figure 4:  the Hawaiian islands where the bats reside

The Hawaiian Hoary Bat is located on the islands of Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and Molokai. The largest populations of the Hawaiian Hoary Bat are thought to be on Kauai and Hawaii. Since there is such limited research conducted on the Hawaiian Hoary Bat, the population number is not known, but it is believed that population numbers have declined in the past hundred years. This is most likely due to habitat loss. In Hawaii most bats are found between sea level and 7,500 feet elevation.

      

Listing Date and Type of Listing

On October 13, 1970 the Hawaiian Hoary Bat was listed as endangered. May 11, 1998 is the recovery plan date for the Hawaiian Hoary Bat. Additionally, the Hawaiian Hoary Bat has a recovery priority number of 9 meaning that the subspecies has a moderate degree of threat and a high potential for recovery.

Cause of listing and Main threats to its continued existence

Due to the overall lack of information on the Hawaiian Hoary Bat, the decline of bat population has been mostly inferred. The numbers of bats have decreased significantly in Oahu which is one of the reasons it is listed. The main threats to the Hawaiian hoary Bats existence are habitat loss, pesticides, predation, and roost disturbance. The decline of the Hawaiian Hoary bat may be primarily due to the reduction of tree cover in the past.

Description of Recovery Plan

The goal of this recovery plan is to determine actual population status and habitats. Not enough information is known about the Hawaiian Hoary Bat and determining the actual population size is not practical; however, it is necessary because of how the population and natural history are not understood. Moreover, a goal is to develop standardized survey and monitoring techniques in order to collect basic life history information and population numbers in the island of Hawaii. Additionally, tasks including the development of education programs to inform the public about the biology of the Hawaiian hoary bats will be implemented. With this in place, the population of the Hawaiian Hoary Bats can be accurately assessed so that conservation methods can positively impact the already declining population.

What can you do?

There is something everyone can do to help contribute to the safety and preservation of the Hawaiian Hoary Bat. “If you know you have ‘ōpe‘ape‘a in your area, protect roosting sites–don’t cut tall trees until after the summer pupping season.  If you are installing a fence in a pasture, consider using barbless wire on the top strand to prevent snagging a hunting bat. If you find a dead bat on Maui, contact Fern Duvall, Wildlife Biologist with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, at 873-3502. You can help scientists learn more about the genetics and habits of this cryptic creature—far more spectacular than spooky”(Sing).

Other resources

If your interested in learning more about the Hawaiian Hoary Bat or would like to donate to saving bats, go to http://www.batcon.org!

Images

Figure 1: https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/endangered-hawaiian-hoary-bat

Figure 2: http://mauiinvasive.org/2014/12/01/hawaiian-hoary-bat-our-only-native-land-mammal/

Figure 3: http://www.hawaiireporter.com/hawaii-government-approves-destruction-of-rare-bird-and-endangered-bat-habitat-public-shut-out/

Figure 4: https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/980511b.pdf

Works Cited:

Misc. “Hawaiian Hoary Bat-Our Only Native Land Mammal.” Maui Invasive Species Committee (MISC), 16 Aug. 2017, mauiinvasive.org/2014/12/01/hawaiian-hoary-bat-our-only-native-land-mammal/.

Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife. “Species Profile for Hawaiian Hoary Bat.” Species Profile for Hawaiian Hoary Bat (Lasiurus Cinereus Semotus), ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile;jsessionid=ED8A4E7FF3C7B3AAA5231364D871E060?spcode=A03W.

Singer, Sydney Ross. “Hawaii Government Approves Destruction of Rare Bird and Endangered Bat Habitat: Public Shut Out.” Hawaii Reporter, 21 Sept. 2011, www.hawaiireporter.com/hawaii-government-approves-destruction-of-rare-bird-and-endangered-bat-habitat-public-shut-out/.

Worthington, David. Recovery Plan for the Hawaiian Hoary Bat (Lasiurus Cinereus Semotus). Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1998.

The Polar Bear by Kylie Durekas

I just can’t even BEAR

this CLIMATE CHANGE.

#savethepolarbear

The purpose of this blog is to outline the conservation management plan created by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the endangered Polar Bear. This plan was written on January 9^th, 2017. For more information on the recovery plan, please visit https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/PBRT%20Recovery%20Plan%20Book.FINAL.signed.pdf .

http://susthingsout.com/index.php/5-memes-of-animals-that-need-protecting/

Description and Ecology of the Polar Bear

When most of us think of the Arctic, we think of a landscape that is barren, icy, and an impossible location to sustain any life form. Contrary to this belief, a place of below freezing temperatures and minimal resources creates the perfect environment for an abundant ecosystem. At the top of this food chain is the polar bear. Polar bears are scientifically known as Ursus maritimus, which translates to “bear of the sea.” They are carnivorous mammals and their diet consists largely of Ringed seals, and in some places Harp seals, Hooded seals, Walrus, and Beluga (Wiig). 

https://in.pinterest.com/explore/polar-bear-facts/?lp=true

Mary Bates is an ecology editor for the PLOS nonprofit organisation and she points out that as the ice melts, it becomes more difficult to catch their usual prey. Their current diet mostly consists of birds because they are small and easy to catch. The problem is that birds do not provide nearly as much food as seals do (Bates). 

Polar bears are considered K-selected species which means that they are established mammals that typically have smaller reproduction rates. It takes a total of 4-5 years until females are fully developed and most mating begins in April or early May. After this, it is not for another 192-265 days until the female becomes pregnant (USFW).

The pregnant bear will begin searching for a proper den to give birth in. When she gives birth, it will most likely only be two cubs. These newly born cubs rely on the fat that the mother has stored from the previous winter so that they can grow strong enough to survive on their own (Wiig).

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/polar-bears/images/35634913/title/cute-polar-bear-photo

To compensate for these low reproductive rates, their populations depend on higher survival rates. Specifically, the rates need to exceed 93% in order to proceed the growth of future generations (Regehr et al. 2015)(USFW). The polar bear’s large diets and adaptations to the arctic allow them to survive in such a cold harsh environment. They have thick coat that cover a thick layer of fat to keep warm. In addition, their black skin absorbs the warmth of the sun. The webbing between their paws allows them to be strong and fast swimmers when hunting for seals (Wigg).

Geographic and Population Changes

There are 19 subpopulations of polar bears that stretch across the 5 Arctic nations that lie in the North Pole. These regions consist of Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia, and the United States. From the subpopulations, polar bears are broken up into

4 ecoregions. The Polar Bear Specialist Group (PBSG) of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, describes the population changes within these subpopulations. They conducted a study in 2014 and conclude that only “one subpopulation has increased, six were stable, three declined, and 9 were undetermined” (Wiig)(see Figure 1). From this data, we can be certain that only one out of nineteen subpopulations are increasing. It is estimated that there are approximately 26,000 polar bears left in these regions. An accurate number of total polar bears is difficult to reach because polar bears do not typically travel and packs and they live in remote locations.

http://arctic.blogs.panda.org/polarbears/polar-bears-and-the-numbers-game/

The home of the Polar Bear is slowly withering away due rising temperatures and ice melt. These mammals rely on the ice for survival in the Arctic. It allows them to travel, hunt, and raise their young. As the sea ice in the Arctic melts at increasing rates, polar bears are forced to expend more energy to hunt for food that is longer distances away. This also impacts their borrowing dens that they use to raise their young (USFW).

Listing Date and Type of Listing

The polar bear was placed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 by the United States Wildlife Service (USFW) on May 15, 2008. Putting the polar bear under the threatened species category means that it is likely to become endangered or close to extinction.

Cause of listing and Main threats to its continued existence

The primary threats to the polar bears are the effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the atmosphere. A few examples human GHG emission causes: urbanization, deforestation, burning fossil fuels (cars, electricity), agriculture (fertilizers, livestock). These GHG’s cause the warming in the Arctic that results in the ice melt.

If we can work together to aggressively reduce GHG emissions throughout the world, then we can successfully save polar bear populations and ourselves. If it does not concern you that the polar bears are going extinct, then you should be worried about how temperature rise will affect you (Towell).

                                          https://twitter.com/climatememes

So why should we care that the polar bear populations are declining, how does this affect us?

As sea ice melts and to sea level rise, many of our coastal cities will be underwater, cities that supply most of the world’s total GDP. According to scientists at the non-profit organization Climate Central, approximately 275 million people will be effected. This means losing homes and separating communities, and finally, immediate displacement (Holder et al.). Unfortunately, the only choice will be to relocate.

For more on ice melt and climate change, please watch:

At least we have that option. The polar bears rely on the sea ice to survive. As ice sheets separate, polar bear populations become more isolated. Over time, this would lead to a decrease in biodiversity and genetic variation. Another issue is that they will have less access to the resources that they need. As the ice melts, the probability of polar bears going extinct increases. It is important to acknowledge this issue and start taking action because climate change will affect polar bears, humans, and everything else. Additional threats to polar bears are described in the section “Description of Recovery Plan” below.

Description of Recovery Plan

The first and most important purpose of the recovery plan is to reduce GHG emissions to stop warming in the arctic and loss of sea ice. When climate change problems are taken care of, the focus will be shifted to settling conflicts between humans and bears, protecting their habitat for dens, and reducing oil spills that can contaminate waters. The recovery plan discussed mainly focuses on the conservation actions of the two polar bear sub-populations in the United States. Within this plan, there are 6 goals to preserve these sub-populations. They are summarized below.

6 goals to preserve sub-populations

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3pfmfd 

1.    Protect the polar bears continued

 existence as a function within its

 ecosystem

2.    Protect the genetic and biodiversity of 

      the species

3.    Preserve the ecological biodiversity

Conserve the continued existence of the

 two polar bear subpopulations in the

United States (the Southern Beaufort Sea

and Chukchi Sea subpopulations)  

4.    Understand the nutritional and cultural needs

of native people and connection to polar bear

populations for harvest

5.    Ensure safety of human-bear interactions

6.    Achieve conservation of the polar bear without

having to restrict too many economic activities

within the range

Detail on how each goal can be met

1.    Reduce anthropogenic GHG emissions

2.    Help conservation efforts that are international

3.    Manage conflictions between bears and humans

4.    Work together to increase and eventually sustain population rates

5.    Preserve den habitats

6.    Conduct in a large amount of research

What can you do?

“Great things are not done by

   impulse, but a series of

   small things brought together.”

-     Vincent Van Gogh

One of the most important thing that I learned from reading this recovery plan is that we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. This is something that will not only help preserve these polar bear populations, but also allow for fall future generations to sustain life on earth. A few simple ways that you can reduce your emissions are:

1.   Reduce, reuse, recycle

a.     The biggest problem with this is knowing what can be recycled and how to properly recycle. By following the link below, you can learn to recycle correctly.

                                               i.     http://www.wm.com/thinkgreen/what-can-i-recycle.jsp

2.   Eat less meat products

a.     The methane produced from agriculture is a huge contributor to GHG’s, even reducing consumption by one meal could make an impact, especially if everyone did this

3.   Carpool

a.   What a fun way to help save the environment! Drive with some friends just like That 70’s Show!

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/top-15-tv-theme-songs

4.   Turn off lights when you leave your house

5.   Turn off the water when brushing your teeth

6.   Consume less, save money and the environment

a.    The less products you consume, the less packaging, and the less demand, which will save you money and reduce waste

7.   Thermostat challenge!

http://blog.cincinnatizoo.org/2017/02/27/anana-the-polar-bear-wants-you-to-get-hygge-with-it/

8.   Buy local

a.    Not only are you supporting local businesses, but you are also reducing the emissions that would be needed to deliver something from a far place.

Other resources

Holder, Josh, et al. “The Three-Degree World: Cities That Will Be Drowned by Global

Warming.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 3 Nov. 2017,

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/ng-interactive/2017/nov/03/three-degree-world-cities-drowned-global-warming

Bates, Mary. “Polar Bears, Ringed Seals, and the Complex Consequences of Climate

Change.” PLOS Ecology Community, 25 Apr. 2017,

blogs.plos.org/ecology/2017/04/25/polar-bears-ringed-seals-and-the-complex-consequences-of-climate-change/.

Towell, Lisa. “A World Without Polar Bears.” PETA Prime, 15 Nov. 2010,
             https://prime.peta.org/2010/11/a-world-without-polar-bears

U.S. Fish and Wildlife (USFW). 2016. Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) Conservation       

Management Plan, Final. U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Region 7, Anchorage, Alaska. 104 pp.

Wiig, O., et al., 2015. Ursus maritimus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015:      
            e.T22823A14871490.
            http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T22823A14871490.en.