A study published yesterday (Jan. 8) in the journal Current Biology about green sea turtles that nest along island beaches near Australia's Great Barrier Reef found that turtles born in areas most heated by climate change are 99.8 percent female. Turtles born farther south, along a cooler beach, are only about 65 percent female.
Due to climate change, Raine Island — the site of the key breeding ground in this study — has warmed significantly since the 1990s, the researchers wrote, likely accounting for the hard female skew.
"Our study highlights the need for immediate management strategies aimed at lowering incubation temperatures at key rookeries," the researchers wrote, "to boost the ability of local turtle populations to adapt to the changing environment and avoid a population collapse — or even extinction."
To read more of Rafi Letzter's article, please click here.
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