Temptation

Temptation

Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) and Scuba diver, Steve’s Bommie, Far North Queensland Great Barrier Reef

Look But Don’t Touch

As temporary visitors to the underwater space it is always tempting to reach out and directly interact with the amazing wildlife that inhabits the world’s coral reefs. This is all the more tempting when we meet endangered animals such as this Green Turtle Chelonia mydas which can rgularly be found on the Great Barrier Reef resting on the reef. Yet interaction, feeding and touching can set up many problems for these animals such as reliance on humans for food, removal of mucus layers that protect them from infections and direct damage to fragile structures. So if we really care about the long term health of these ecosystems we should avoid temptation and just observe. As the saying goes:

Take only pictures, leave only bubbles

More information:

Chelonia mydas, commonly known as the green turtle is a large sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus Chelonia. The range of the species extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They are green because of their fat underneath their shell.

As a species recognized as endangered by the IUCN and CITES, Chelonia mydas is protected from exploitation in most countries worldwide. It is illegal to collect, harm or kill individual turtles. In addition, many countries have implemented various laws and ordinances to protect individual turtles and turtle nesting areas within their jurisdiction. However, the turtles’ populations are still in danger because of several human practices. In some countries, the turtles are still hunted for their flesh and their eggs are collected from nests and eaten as a delicacy. Pollution indirectly harms the turtle populations both on the population and the individual scale. Many turtles die as a result of being caught in fishermen’s nets and drowning. Finally, habitat loss due to human development is a major reason for the loss of green turtle nesting beaches. (Source: “Wikipedia”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_turtle)

Temptation belongs to the following groups:

Conservation Photography, Endangered Species, Queensland and Underwater & Sealife (Limit 2 Per Day) Available for sale as

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