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 New ÒÁÈ˾þÃ
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New ÒÁÈ˾þà articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
3
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
4
This physicist is hunting for the biggest black hole in the universe
5
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
6
Humans sleep the least of all apes – is it the secret to our success?
7
Screwworm could be the first species targeted by an 'extinction drive'
8
The race to understand how and when Thwaites glacier will collapse
9
Our verdict on The Selfish Gene: An unpopular piece of popular science
10
Remote-controlled cockroach swarm can now breathe underwater
