According to the British newspaper The Independent, more than 50 red sea turtle hatchlings died on Anna Maria Island in Florida overnight. Artificial light sources disrupted the sense of direction of the newborn turtles, causing them to crawl towards the coastal highway instead of the Gulf of Mexico.
According to reports, workers at the monitoring station found 55 dead young turtles on the road, only a few hours after they were hatched. “These young turtles were just a few hours old. They should have followed the light of the night sky reflected by the sea surface, but instead, they crawled towards the artificial lights from residential houses and shops, and eventually reached the road.”
Staff members are urging residents to pull up the curtains in the rooms and turn off non-essential lighting after dark. Many local residents and tourists are calling for the government to strengthen controls and impose stricter penalties.
Red Sea Turtle Youngs – AFP
Red sea turtle, originally known as loggerhead turtle, primarily lives in ocean and coastal coral reef areas. It has a broad head with a short, wide upper jaw. Its carapace is long oval-shaped, and the head, carapace, and back parts of its limbs are nearly brown and brownish-red. The sides of the head are light brownish-red. The lower jaw, ventral carapace, limbs, and abdomen are pale yellow. It is an animalivorous species, feeding on various crustaceans and fish. The red sea turtle is listed as a national first-class protected wildlife species in China's "List of National Key Protected Wild Animals," and it is also included in the "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species."
