Lack of rain and significant variation in temperatures have reduced turtle reproduction
Mazatlan, Sinaloa.- Mazatlan temperatures have reduced since 2016 a considerable reproduction of the turtle in its different species, said Eréndira González Diego, biologist responsible for the turtle sanctuary of Estrella del Mar, who after his participation in A dialogue table for World Wildlife Day in Mazatlan Aquarium, explained that temperatures have not allowed a balance in the nesting of sea turtles.
“Everything depends directly on the temperatures of the sea surface average since 2016 the nests on the beaches have begun to decrease; if we have ‘boy’ years in which the sea surface temperature is very high, there is a decrease in populations, and when it is ‘girl’ year when the temperatures are cooler, you have a higher percentage of nesting ”.
“What we saw this year is that here in Mazatlan it didn’t rain, in June the dune area was already too damp, they had already developed, and the sand was very dry, and they couldn’t dig their nest, then the turtles came and they left, ”explained the biologist.
He also explained that the temperatures in 2019 were not adequate in the nesting of five species that come to reproduce on Mazatlan beaches, mainly the golfina turtle.
“A sea turtle egg, supports a temperature range that goes between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius; between 27 and 35 you have a good development of the embryo; between 25 and 26 degrees the egg remains alive, but development already stops, and above 35 degrees and below 25 die, and also the sex of the embryo is determined by temperatures, ”he said.
The biologist Eréndira González added that there are certain temperatures that determine the sex of the species, which is another variable so that the turtle does not reproduce in the future due to the imbalance.
“If we have temperatures between 29 and 35 degrees we will reproduce 50 percent of females and 50 percent of males, above 30 degrees we will reproduce pure females, and between 27 and 29 we will reproduce males, and the problem right now is that temperatures rise so much that we are reproducing more females, even when we use shading nets to lower the temperature, ”he explained.
Source: reaccion informativa
The Mazatlan Post
