Leatherback turtles: the menace of plastic.
The leatherback, Dermochelyscoriacea, is a large sea turtle that feeds primarily on jellyfish. Floating plastic garbage could be mistaken for such prey. Autopsy records of 408 leatherback turtles, spanning 123 years (1885-2007), were studied for the presence or absence of plastic in the GI tract. Plastic was reported in 34% of these cases. If only cases from our first report (1968) of plastic were considered, the figure was 37%. Blockage of the gut by plastic was mentioned in some accounts. These findings are discussed in the context of removal of top predators from poorly understood food chains.
Mrosovsky
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Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G5. nicholas.mrosovsky@utoronto.ca
Ryan
Geraldine D
GD
James
Michael C
MC
D000818:Animals; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000473:pathology*; D010969:Plastics / Q000032:analysis*; D013997:Time Factors; D014426:Turtles / Q000502:physiology*; D014873:Water Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*
D010969:Plastics; D014873:Water Pollutants