Almost all sea turtles born on Florida beaches over the past four years have been female, according to scientists.
The increase in female baby turtles occurs as a result of intense heat waves caused by a growing climate crisis that is significantly warming the sand on some beaches, such as CNN reported this week.
Seconds the National Ocean Service, if a turtle’s eggs are incubated below 27C (82F), the hatchlings will be male. If the eggs are incubated above 31C (89F), the hatchlings will be female. Temperatures that range between the two extremes will result in a mixture of male and female turtles.
The researchers also found that the warmer the sand, the higher the proportion of female turtles.
“As Earth experienced climate change, rising temperatures could lead to biased and even lethal hatching conditions, affecting species of turtles and other reptiles,” the National Ocean Service said . said
In a statement to Reuters, Bette Zirkelbach, manager of Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida Keys, said: “The scary thing is that the last four summers in Florida have been the hottest summers on record.”
He added: “Scientists studying sea turtle hatchlings and eggs have found no baby sea turtles, so only female sea turtles for the past four years.”
The unequal ratio of males to females is a growing concern among scientists who worry that the sea turtle population is falling behind.
Melissa Rosales Rodriguez, a sea turtle keeper at Zoo Miami’s recently opened sea turtle hospital, he said Reuters, “Over the years, you’re going to see a sharp decline in their population because we just don’t have the genetic diversity… We don’t have the male-to-female ratio needed to be able to have successful breeding sessions.”
In addition to dealing with an increasing number of female turtles, the Sea Turtle Hospital is also currently working to address fibropapillomatosis, a potentially fatal disease among sea turtles that causes cauliflower-like tumors to develop on the body, including the eyes and mouth. Tumors could also form in internal organs.
“The turtle hospital was the first. But unfortunately and fortunately, there’s a need all over Florida,” Zirkelbach said regarding the growing need for more rehab centers across the state.