A 10-year study of Pacific leatherback turtles suggests that they are nearing
extinction. Researchers from Drexel University, Philadelphia, injected
transponder tags into turtles to track a nesting female population at Playa
Grande, Costa Rica. The number of females detected dropped from 1367 in 1988 to
just 117 in 1998, and using a mathematical model the researchers predict that
fewer than 50 will remain by 2004. Team leader James Spotila says in this week’s
Nature that changes to fishing practices are needed to ensure turtles
are not caught accidentally.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from 51¶¯Âþ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending 51¶¯Âþ articles
1
Mathematicians stunned by AI's biggest breakthrough in mathematics yet
2
How I used psychology to come back from the worst year of my life
3
The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins’s evolution classic still holds up
4
The distant world that is our best hope of finding alien life
5
Photos reveal unexpected details from the world's first atomic test
6
Epic dreaming is leaving people exhausted and distressed
7
The ‘doomsday’ glacier’s giant ice shelf is about to break away
8
Women’s better memories may delay Alzheimer’s diagnosis by years
9
The 3 things you need to know about protein, according to an expert
10
Mystery of the ancient giant stone jars of Laos may have been solved
