published an article by biologist Mark Battle of the Cetacea Onlus Foundation.
Small turtles in difficulty, in the Adriatic
Something happens to small turtles in the northern Adriatic. For a month in this part of the Hospital Foundation Cetacea Turtles shall be subject to hard work. The turtle strandings in the summer, on the northern coast del'Adriatico, are not uncommon. These are very often of carcasses of animals already dead and washed ashore by the currents. Occasionally a turtle is still alive and in trouble is reported, and this is then quickly recovered and admitted in the center of Fondazione Cetacea. Routine, more or less. But the problem these days is different. on June 30 at Numana (AN) was found only a small turtle carapace length of 25 cm. It was very debilitated, very thin and above all completely covered with barnacles. The barnacles, or dog's teeth are white from the shell of crustaceans and hard, that live attached to substrates furniture, just as the shells of turtles. It 'very normal to find barnacles on the shell of turtles, but when they are sick and they move little, barnacles can also multiply and spread to the skin of the legs, neck, head, everywhere in fact. It was certainly the case in small turtle Numana.
Two weeks later, on July 15, in Ravenna is the second case: even this very small, only 23 cm, and this completely covered with barnacles. Not only that portion of the carapace had also developed a lot of algae, and there were also small mussels growing on them. The same day, still close to Ravenna, another copy with the same characteristics, but this time, unfortunately, already dead. Hence the growing
here: a little girl on July 17 in Fano, then 23 and 24 two copies, one Catholic and one in Cervia. 28, yet another, in Milano Marittima. Finally, here is the first weekend of August: The first major difficulty in the other two turtles, one in Ravenna and Cervia. The next day, Sunday is the turn of Rimini, with a little one of only 19 cm of carapace.
A total of 10 animals, of which nine are still alive and admitted to the Center of Cetacea in Riccione. All these specimens were found stranded or in distress within a few inches of water, spotted by lifeguards or swimmers.
All patients are similar, very small and so encrusted with barnacles also have from the eyes and even on the tongue. Then show some difficulties di nuoto, perchè la pelle delle zampe è “irrigidita” da questi crostacei. Da notare che la cura di queste piccole sfortunate è di fatto abbastanza semplice e rapida. Prima, due o tre giorni in acqua dolce. In questo modo tutti i balani e gli altri organismi sul corpo muoiono, e pian piano cadono. E’ una trasformazione notevole, ripulite in questo modo le tartarughe passano da un aspetto mostruoso a splendidi esemplari dal carapace screziato e bellissimo. Nel frattempo le tartarughe vengono messe a… dieta ingrassante. Pesce e calamari per ritrovare le energie e la forma.
Quello che non si spiega è che cosa possa causare questi casi. Il fenomeno viene descritto come Debilitated Turtle Syndrome, cioè molto semplicemente la Sindrome delle Tartarughe debilitate. E’ stato individuata e studiata già da diversi anni, per esempio in Florida e in Georgia, negli USA. Fondazione Cetacea ha già contattato ricercatori americani per uno scambio di informazioni. Sebbene però individuata e studiata, non si conoscono le cause di questa sindrome.
Quello che si sa è che normalmente una tartaruga molto debilitata tende a rimanere molto tempo ferma, ed è allora che i balani hanno tempo e modo di espandersi. Ma cosa ha prima debilitato la tartaruga?
E se non fosse così? E se fosse che alcune cause ambientali sconosciute provocano un sviluppo spropositato di balani, che “attaccano” poi le piccole tartarughe, rendendo loro il nuoto difficoltoso, and hence the deep state of exhaustion? We do not know, but no hypothesis has to be discarded. For example, the prolonged and intense heat of July, with temperatures above average, can have an impact?
It 's a bell'enigma, difficult to solve. What is certain that now all the turtles are recovering in hospital tanks of turtles, and that found in Numana June 30 has already returned to the sea, always Numana, last week. For others, a hospital stay more or less long, and then the return to freedom, between now and September. They went well, how many out there will have had their own luck?
Two weeks later, on July 15, in Ravenna is the second case: even this very small, only 23 cm, and this completely covered with barnacles. Not only that portion of the carapace had also developed a lot of algae, and there were also small mussels growing on them. The same day, still close to Ravenna, another copy with the same characteristics, but this time, unfortunately, already dead. Hence the growing
here: a little girl on July 17 in Fano, then 23 and 24 two copies, one Catholic and one in Cervia. 28, yet another, in Milano Marittima. Finally, here is the first weekend of August: The first major difficulty in the other two turtles, one in Ravenna and Cervia. The next day, Sunday is the turn of Rimini, with a little one of only 19 cm of carapace.
A total of 10 animals, of which nine are still alive and admitted to the Center of Cetacea in Riccione. All these specimens were found stranded or in distress within a few inches of water, spotted by lifeguards or swimmers.
All patients are similar, very small and so encrusted with barnacles also have from the eyes and even on the tongue. Then show some difficulties di nuoto, perchè la pelle delle zampe è “irrigidita” da questi crostacei. Da notare che la cura di queste piccole sfortunate è di fatto abbastanza semplice e rapida. Prima, due o tre giorni in acqua dolce. In questo modo tutti i balani e gli altri organismi sul corpo muoiono, e pian piano cadono. E’ una trasformazione notevole, ripulite in questo modo le tartarughe passano da un aspetto mostruoso a splendidi esemplari dal carapace screziato e bellissimo. Nel frattempo le tartarughe vengono messe a… dieta ingrassante. Pesce e calamari per ritrovare le energie e la forma. Quello che non si spiega è che cosa possa causare questi casi. Il fenomeno viene descritto come Debilitated Turtle Syndrome, cioè molto semplicemente la Sindrome delle Tartarughe debilitate. E’ stato individuata e studiata già da diversi anni, per esempio in Florida e in Georgia, negli USA. Fondazione Cetacea ha già contattato ricercatori americani per uno scambio di informazioni. Sebbene però individuata e studiata, non si conoscono le cause di questa sindrome.
Quello che si sa è che normalmente una tartaruga molto debilitata tende a rimanere molto tempo ferma, ed è allora che i balani hanno tempo e modo di espandersi. Ma cosa ha prima debilitato la tartaruga?
E se non fosse così? E se fosse che alcune cause ambientali sconosciute provocano un sviluppo spropositato di balani, che “attaccano” poi le piccole tartarughe, rendendo loro il nuoto difficoltoso, and hence the deep state of exhaustion? We do not know, but no hypothesis has to be discarded. For example, the prolonged and intense heat of July, with temperatures above average, can have an impact?
It 's a bell'enigma, difficult to solve. What is certain that now all the turtles are recovering in hospital tanks of turtles, and that found in Numana June 30 has already returned to the sea, always Numana, last week. For others, a hospital stay more or less long, and then the return to freedom, between now and September. They went well, how many out there will have had their own luck?
